UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


THE  LfflR  ARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OP 
NORTH  CAROLINA 
AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 
DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 


SOCIETIES 

.S2 

W7 

OENCO 


This  book  IS  due  at  the  LOUIS  R.  WILSON  LIBRARY  on  the 
last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold  it  may  be 
renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  Hbrary. 


DATE 
DUE 


RET. 


DATE 
DUE 


RET. 


JAEM 


1995 


am. 


APRC 


MAY  0  7 


mm 


17  '01 


9m- 


DEC 


^  2  2011 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/historicpicturesOOwils_0 


Id 


^^^W^^^  l^^^/A:r^^;r<^l^  0^f^^^^e-r^^ 


5 


Photographsd  from  the  uriginel  manuscript,  in  the  Puibic  Record  OfBcs  of 


London. 


THE  WILL  OF  GENERAL  JAMES  OGLETHORPE. 


I 


HISTORIC   AND  PICTURESQUE 


W1 


SAVANNAH 


BY 

ADELAIDE  WILSON 


AND 

Ellustrateti  tjg  (Georgia  SEegmoutfj 


NON  hjec  sine  numine  eveniunt 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  SUBSCRIBERS 

BY    THE    BOSTON    PHOTOGRAVURE  COMPANY 

MDCCCLXXXIX 


Copyright,  1889 

By  ADELAIDE    WILSON  and   GEORGIA  WEYMOUTH 


BOSTON,  U.S  A. 


THE   CUTS  IN 


THE    BOSTON    PHOTOGRAVURE  CO. 


TO    ONE    AND    ALL  OF 

©ur  JFrtenbs 

WHO  BY 

THEIR    SYMPATHETIC  CONSIDERATION    AND  ENCOURAGEMENT 
HAVE 

LIGHTENED    THE    LABOR    OF    THIS  WORK 
WE    DEDICATE  IT 
IN 

LOVE    AND  GRATITUDE. 


PREFACE 


IHE  remark  of  Ruskin,  that  he  could  not  visit  America  because 


"it  possesses  no  historic  ruins,"  lias  slowly  been  losing  its  power 
to  wound  our  historic  imagination.  With  our  two  centuries  and  a 
half  of  age  we  are  fast  recovering  from  the  reproach  of  newness. 
With  its  lengthening  years,  American  history  has  gained  a  perspec- 
tive^—  its  past  far  enough  removed  to  be  the  subject  of  romance, 
its  buildings  and  monuments  far  enough  "  in  ruins  and  ivy-grown " 
to  be  the  subject  of  patriotic  interest.  Certainly,  to  the  American, 
while  he  will  never  see  his  country  strewn  with  remains  of  temples 
and  abbeys,  nor  giant  obelisks  pointing  their  geometric  fingers  heaven- 
ward (unless  he  borrows  them),  still  there  is  an  interest,  deep  and 
lasting,  in  the  cities  and  battlefields,  where  the  different  stages  of 
his  country's  growth  have  been  evolved;  in  the  buildings  and  monu- 
ments which  have  been  associated  with  the  great  names  of  Ameri- 
can history.  And,  after  all,  if  true  history  he  the  record  of  the 
struggle  of  principles  and  the  evolution  of  nobler  ideas  of  justice, 
religion,  and  freedom,  rather  than  the  record  of  pagan  splendor  and 
feudal  castles,  we  can  say  to  Mr.  Ruskin  and  other  critics :  "  Come 
to  America,  and  we  will  show  you  plenty  of  ruins:  The  ruin  of 
the  idea  that  men  can  be  taxed  without  being  represented;  the  ruin 


(V) 


vi 


PREFACE 


of  the  idea  that  rehgion  can  be  forced  upon  the  conscience  of 
men  by  State  enactment;  the  ruin  of  the  idea  that  Privilege  belongs 
to  hereditary  classes  rather  than  to  sterling  worth."  These  are 
splendid  ruins,  and  they  and  similar  ones  are  scattered  over  the 
face  of  American  history. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  the  growing  appreciation  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  ideas  that  constitute  the  true  genius  of  our  national  life. 
Centennial  celebrations  all  over  the  country  have  called  the  people's 
attention  to  them;  glowing  orations  have  pointed  the  moral,  and 
patriotic  odes  have  adorned  the  theme.  Magazine  articles  have  re- 
lUumined  the  past.  In  less  fugitive,  and  in  more  permanent  form, 
historic  volumes  have  appeared,  recalling  and  preserving  the  records 
of  each  separate  locality.  The  Moses  King  Company,  of  Boston,  has 
issued  a  score  and  over  of  these  descriptive  works.  In  this  way 
the  people's  imagination  has  been  appealed  to,  and  the  historic  sense 
created. 

These  remarks  introduce  us  to  the  design  of  the  present  volume. 
It  is  intended  to  give  such  an  outline  of  the  history  of  Savannah, 
from  its  earliest  to  its  latest  period,  as,  without  the  necessity  of  con- 
sulting dusty  records  and  ponderous  tomes,  will  place  each  citizen 
in  sympathy  with  the  chief  events  of  its  history;  and,  concurrent 
with  this  purpose,  to  picture  and  preserve  its  historic  buildings  and 
monuments  before  they  have  yielded  to  the  work  of  time,  and  gone 
the  way  of  all  —  brick  and  mortar!  Hence  the  suitableness  of  its 
title,  "  Historic  and  Picturesque  Savannah."  The  "  Historic "  portion 
of  the  narrative  has  l^een  done  by  Miss  Wilson ;  the  "  Picturesque " 
we  owe  to  Miss  Weymouth. 

The  historical  narrative  deals  with  the  facts  of  the  city's 
foundation  and  development  with  great  care  and  painstaking.  Wliile 


FBEFACE 


vii 


it  is  continuous  from  the  settlement  of  Savannah  by  Oglethorpe, 
down  to  the  period  when,  through  the  throes  of  the  Civil  War,  the 
new  Savannah  arose,  yet  the  greatest  emphasis  is  laid,  as  is  proper, 
upon  the  three  important  periods:  the  Settlement  by  Oglethorpe;  the 
Revolutionary  War;  the  Aspect  of  the  city  during  the  War  between 
the  States.  This  last  period  has  been  written  by  one  thoroughly 
conversant  with  his  theme.  His  facile  pen  has  done  as  much  to 
recall  the  glow  of  that  now  distant  period  as  his  famous  utterance, 
"  We  are  here  to  hold  the  fort,  not  to  surrender  it,"  did  to  shed 
lustre  upon  it.  The  other  two  marked  epochs,  the  Settlement  of 
the  Colony  and  the  War  of  Independence,  together  with  the  thread 
that  binds  all  parts  of  the  narrative  together,'  have  been  the  work 
of  the  careful  and  painstaking  authoress.  A  hasty  survey  of  these 
parts  will  reveal  to  the  reader  the  original  nature  of  much  of 
the  material  facts  now  published  for  the  first  time;  original  auto- 
graphs and  letters  of  famous  j^ersons  now  first  seeing  the  light  of 
day;  old  newspaper  accounts  and  city  records  resurrected  from  the 
dust  of  years.  We  are  at  a  loss  which  most  to  admire,  the  patience 
and  fidelity  with  which  old  facts  have  been  gathered,  or  the  fresh- 
ness and  naivete  of  the  style  with  which  they  are  made  to  move 
before  our  eyes.  We  frankly  confess  that  we  sat  down  before  the 
volume  as  a  learner,  and  have  risen  knowing  more  of  our  city's 
history  than  before,  and  have  been  charmed  along  the  path,  without 
the  irksomeness  of  learning,  by  the  simple,  natural,  and  unconven- 
tional style  of  the  narrative.  We  recall  scarcely  a  single  interest 
in  the  multiform  life  of  the  city  which  has  not  received  its  proper 
meed  of  mention.  The  Churches,  several  of  which  have  been  asso- 
ciated with  famous  preachers  of  history;  the  Military  Organizations, 
which  have  ever  been  the  pride  of  the  city;  the  Bar,  which  has 


4 


Vlii 


PREFACE 


carried  in  the  past,  as  it  carries  to-day,  some  of  the  brightest 
names  upon  its  roll;  the  Medical  Profession,  who,  through  plague 
and  pestilence,  have  \dndicated  their  title  to  the  highest  skill  and 
the  kindest  huuianity,  —  have  all  their  just  share  of  honorable  men- 
tion. The  book  is  the  outcome  of  loving  interest  in  the  history  of 
the  Forest  City,  and  as  such  we  bid  it  a  right  royal  welcome  into 
our  homes. 

The  "  picturesque "  part  of  the  volume,  the  product  largely  of 
Miss  Weymouth's  graceful  pencil,  keeps  faithful  company  with  the 
descriptive  nai'rative.  Looking  over  the  scores  of  illustrations  —  some 
of  which  are  from  photographs  and  others  sketches  with  pen  and  ink 
—  the  reader  will  find  that  no  object  that  possesses  any  claim  to  his- 
toric interest  has  been  omitted.  To  many  objects  and  buildings  in 
the  city  his  attention  will  be  dii-ected  for  the  first  time.  Thus,  con- 
nected with  colonial  times,  are  the  pictures  of  Oglethorpe  and  Tomo- 
chi-chi ;  the  collection  of  antiques  in  Solomon's  Lodge,  said  to  have 
been  donated  by  General  Oglethorpe;  an  autographic  copy  of  Ogle- 
thorpe's will  secured  in  London.  He  will,  indeed,  wonder  why  the 
old  chimney  of  the  house  on  State  street  appears,  but  his  wonder 
will  soon  subside  into  reverence  as  he  learns  that  it  is  a  bit  of 
brick  and  mortar  from  old  Savannah,  having  l)een  a  part  of  the  Old 
Barracks,  where  the  Continental  troops  were  surprised  by  the  British. 
One  of  the  best  sketches  is  the  gateway  of  the  Old  Cemetery, 
through  a  corner  of  which  appears  the  site  of  Sir  Patrick 
Houstoun's  tomb,  although  that  monument  itself  has  been  removed. 
Sketches  connected  with  later  times  are  the  Commercial  Way,  soon 
to  be  destroyed;  the  Kent  House,  with  bullet-hole  still  surviving 
the  repairing  zeal  of  carjjenter  and  mason.  Buildings  of  great  antiq- 
uity and   historic  interest,  that  v/ould  have  been   lost  to  the  histo- 


PREFACE 


ix 


rian,  are  the  Washington  House,  once  occupying  the  site  of  the 
new  Odd  Fellows'  Hall;  the  Inn,  Savannah's  old-time  hotel  for 
man  and  beast,  within  whose  shabby  walls  men  as  famous  as 
Lafayette  have  supped;  and  next  to  it  the  first  Masonic  Hall, 
both  of  these  time-honored  and  time-worn  structures  giving  way  to 
the  rising  walls  of  the  new  Bethesda  Building:  but  all  of  them  are 
preserved  to  us  by  the  rescuing  hand  of  the  diligent  artist.  And 
so,  all  over  the  city,  with  historic  research,  with  graceful  touch,  monu- 
ments and  buildings;  tombs  of  the  dead  and  temples  of  the  living; 
houses  which  received  the  city's  honored  guests,  as  Washington  and 
Lafayette  in  eai'ly  days,  and  L,ee  and  Davis  in  later  times,  are 
thrown  before  us  with  their  historic  associations.  If  olden  scenes 
can  live  again,  and  be  clothed  in  something  of  their  former  truth- 
fulness and  beauty,  then  the  combined  skill  of  the  pen  and  pencil 
of  our  authoress  and  artist  have  done  this  for  the  Forest  City  of 
the  South.  Thus  united,  "  Historic  and  Picturesque  Savannah "  is  a 
volume  of  which  her  citizens  may  feel  justly  proud,  and  into  which 
they  may  delve  with  constant  and  increasing  interest. 

In  the  preparation  of  such  a  volume  "  to  whom  shall  acknowl- 
edgments be  made?"  is  a  question  which  can  be  better  answered 
by  the  word  "legion,"  than  by  a  special  list  of  friends  and  helpers. 
JSTevertheless,  some  special  mention  must  be  made  to  Colonel  Charles 
•H.  Olmstead,  for  his  contribution  of  "  Savannah  in  War  Time,"  one 
of  the  most  delightful  portions  of  the  volume,  as  well  as  for  the 
material  of  the  sketch  of  the  First  Volunteer  Regiment  of  Georgia. 
For  his  artistic  supervision  of  the  art  portion  of  the  work,  and  of 
the  plates  as  they  came  from  the  press,  especial  acknowledgment  is 
made  to  Mr.  Thomas  E.  Sweeney,  artist,  Boston,  Massachusetts.  The 
writers  feel  bound  to  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to  Mr.  William 


X 


PREFACE 


Harden,  Librarian,  for  valuable  assistance  at  the  Library  of  the 
Historical  Society,  and  to  Mr.  Frank  E.  Kebarer,  Clerk  of  the 
City  Council,  for  courteous  access  to  the  city  records.  The  follow- 
ing histories  and  magazines  have  been  freely  consulted:  Colonel 
C.  C.  Jones'  and  Right  Reverend  William  Bacon  Stevens'  Histories 
of  Georgia;  White's  Statistics;  F.  D.  Lee  and  J.  L.  Agnew's 
Historical  Record  of  Savannah ;  "  Magazine  of  American  History " 
("Washington  ^^"umber,"  February,  1888),  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb, 
editor;  and  Colonel  1.  W.  Avery's  article  upon  the  City  of  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  in  Harper's  "  New  Monthly  Magazine  "  (January,  1888) . 
Thanks  are  also  tendered  to  the,  Boston  Public  Library  and  the 
Boston  Athenaeum,  for  favors  received ;  also,  to  the  Public  Record 
Office,  of  London,  England,  for  the  fac-simile  of  Oglethorpe's  will. 

To  the  many  friends  who  have  helped  them  with  counsel  and 
aided  them  with  valuable  hints  and  suggestions,  the  writers  feel  it 
a  pleasure  to  express  their  heartfelt  gratitude. 

C.  H,  S. 


CHAPTER  FIRST. 

The  Aborigines  of  Georgia.  —  Origin  of  the  Province.  —  Names  of  the  Trustees.  —  The  Charter. 
—  James  Oglethorpe. — The  Sailing  of  the  (iailey  "Ann."  —  Selection  of  a  Site  for  the  Colony  on  the 
Banks  of  the  Savannah  River.  —  First  Day  in  Georgia.  — Laying  out  of  the  First  Square  and  Streets.  — 
First  Public  Dinner. — First  Court  held  in  Georgia. — Arrival  of  Israelites. — Public  Gardens.  —  Seal. — 
Silk  Culture.  —  First  Map  of  Savannah. — Costell's  "Villas  of  the  Ancients." — Francis  Moore's  Descrip- 
tion of  Savannah. — Catholicity  of  Creeds  in  Savannah. — "  Great  Emliarcation."  —  John  Wesley.  —  Oldest 
Sunday-school  in  the  World. — John  Wesley's  First  Hymnal.  — George  Whitefield.  — Bethesda. — -Tomo- 
cM-chi.  —  First  Public  Funeral.  — Oglethorpe.  — Spanish  Invasion.  — Oglethorpe's  Regiment.  — His 
Quarters  in  Savannah.  —  His  Home  on  St.  Simon's  Island.  — Colonel  Demere's  Estate.  — Return  of  Ogle- 
thorpe to  England.  —  His  Literary  Surroundings  in  the  Evening  of  Life  .  1 

CHAPTER  SECOND. 

First  Commercial  House  in  Georgia  established  in  1744. — Change  of  Government. — William 
Stephens. — Beaulieu.  —  Silk  Culture  and  the  Government. — Completion  of  Christ  Church. — Lutheran 
Church. — L^nion  Society  as  -St.  George's  Society."  —  First  General  Assembly,  in  1751.  —  Formation 
of  the  Militia. — Wormsloe. — Expiration  of  the  Charter. — The  Seal.  —  Captain  John  Reynolds, 
First  Royal  Governor.  —  The  Filature.  —  Henry  Ellis. — The  First  Wharf  built,  in  1759. — Division  of 
Province  into  Parishes. — Origin  of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church. — Early  Fire  Regulations 
in  Savannah.  —  Regulations  concerning  Fire-arms.  —  Church  Attendance.  —  Observance  of  the  Sabbath 
in  1757.  —  James  Wright,  the  Last  Royal  Governor. — His  Inauguration  and  Public  Festivities.  —  The 
Market-place  of  Savannah.  —  Ellis  Square  selected.  —  School-house.  — -  Governor  Wright's  Adminis- 
tration.—  Bird's-eye  View  of  Savannah  in  1760. — Fortifications  of  De  Brahm. — Fort  George. — 
Tybee  Beacon.  —  Governor's  Mansion.  —  Tearing  down  the  Old  Court  House. — Printing-press,  in 
1763. —  "  Georgia  Gazette."  —  First  Po.st  Office,  in  1704  25 

CHAPTER  THIRD. 

Accession  of  George  III. — Royal  Assent  to  the  Stamp  Act.  in  1765. — General  Congress  of 
the  Colonies  held  in  New  York.  —  Georgia's  Situation.  —  Sons  of  Liberty.  —  Origin  of  the  Expression.  — 
Arrival  of  Stamps  in  Savannah. — -Intense  Excitement. — Burning  of  the  Governor  in  Effigy. — Re- 
peal of  the  Stamp  Act. — A  Call  to  Patriots  in  the  ''Georgia  Gazette."  —  Tondee's  Tavern. — List  of 
Liberty  Sons.  —  The  King's  Birthday.  —  The  First  Liberty  Pole  in  Georgia.  —  News  of  the  Battle 
of  Lexington  in  Savannah.  — ■  The  Powder  Magazine  seized.  —  Council  of  Safety  organized.  —  Meet- 
mg  of  the  Provincial  Congress  in  Tondee's  Tavern  on  Fourth  of  July,  1775.  —  Capture  of  English 
Vessel  off  Tybee  Roads. — Doctor  John  Zubly. — Naming  of  Streets  in  his  Honor.  —  Formation  of 
Battalion  — Capture  of  Sir  James  Wright  by  Joseph  Habersham. — Wright's  Escape  to  Bonaventure. — ■ 

(xi) 


xii 


CONTENTS 


Attempted  Capture  of  Rice  Vessels,  and  the  First  Battle  on  Georgia  Soil. — Arrival  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  in  Savannah. — Festivities  attendant  upon  its  Public  Reading. — First  Anniversary  of 
the  Fourth  of  July.  — First  Constitution  of  Georgia.  —  Counties  superseded  Parishes.  — New  Seal.  — First 
Colonial  Governor. — John  Treutlen. — Names  of  the  First  Executive  Council  40 

CHAPTER  FOURTH. 

The  British  turn  their  Attention  to  Georgia.  —  The  Insecure  State  of  Savannah.  —  The  British 
off  Tybee. — Brewton  Hill.  —  The  Americans'  Position. — The  British  Attack. — The  British  Victory 
and  Rule  in  Savannah. — Oppression.  — The  Appearance  of  D'Estaing's  Fleet  in  the  Savannah  River. 

—  Prevost  fortifying  the  Town.  — Colonel  Maitland's  Successful  Reenforcement  to  the  Garrison.  —  The 
Siege  begun.  —  The  Ninth  of  October,  1779.  —  D'Estaing.  —  Pulaski.  —  Jasper.  —  Illustrious  Persons  in 
the  Combat.  —  Departure  of  the  French  Fleet.  —  Letter  from  J.  H.  Cruger.  —  Memorandum  of  the 
Siege.  —  Sir  James  Wright  at  the  Helm  of  Government.  —  Death  of  Colonel  Maitland.  —  Destructive 
Results  of  the  Siege.  —  Condition  of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Meeting-House.  —  Augusta  the 
Headquarters  of  State  Government. — Evacuation  of  Savannah,  July  eleventh,  1782. — Return  of  the 
Executive  Council. — General  Wayne  in  Military  Command  of  the  City. — Business  revived.  —  Names 
of  the  Streets  changed.  —  Addition  of  Streets.  —  The  Meeting  of  the  State  Legislature  in  the  House 
of  General  Mcintosh.  —  History  of  the  Hou.se. — Incident  in  the  Life  of  General  Mcintosh.  —  Mr. 
Kent's  House. — •  "  Georgia  Gazette."  —  Extracts  of  Advertisements.  — Post  Stages  in  178G.  — A  Gala  Day 
in  Honor  of  Peace  between  England  and  America.  —  Gifts  from  the  Legislature  to  Colonel  James 
Jackson,  to  General  Anthony  Wayne,  to  Brigadier-General  Nathaniel  Greene.  —  Mulberry  Grove.  — 
Death  of  General  Greene. — Extract  from  the  "Georgia  Gazette."  —  The  Mystery  of  his  Burial. — 
Traditions,  concerning  Pulaski. — Lines  upon  "Old  Greenwich,"  by  Mrs.  Ann  Elizabeth  Bowen. — 
Eli  Whitney  at  Mulberry  Grove.  —  George  Washington.  —  Destruction  of  the  Hou.se  by  Sherman's 
Army  .  52 

CHAPTER  FIFTH. 

The  Formation  of  Chatham  Artillery,  the  Oldest  Military  Organization  in  the  State. — Partici- 
pation in  the  Celebration  of  July  Fourth  1786.  —  Extracts  from  Benjamin  Sheftall's  Book.  — The  Union 
Society  made  a  Corporation  in  1786.  —  Its  Revolutionary  Experience.  —  Bethesda  p]xtracts  from 
"  Georgia  Gazette." — -Lady  Huntingdon.  —  .Vncestry  of  Lady  Huntingdon  and  George  Washington. — 
Lady  Huntingdon's  Portrait.  —  Savannah  incorporated  as  a  City  in  1789.  — ^  John  Houstoun,  First  Mayor. 

—  Extracts  from  the  First  Minutes  of  the  City  Council.  —  Brief  Glance  at  the  City.  —  South  Broad 
Street.  —  Jewi-sh  Burial  Ground  the  first  enclosed  in  Savannah.  —  Act  regarding  the  Old  Brick  Ceme- 
tery. —  Eppinger'.s  House. — The  Filature,  Favorite  Hall  for  Meetings.  —  Insignia  of  Office.  —  Wash- 
ington's Visit  to  Savannah.  — Extract  from  "Georgia  Gazette," — Washington  Guns.  — Washing- 
ton-Sheftall  Letters.  —  Hebrew  Congregation  in  1790    80 

CHAPTER  SIXTH. 

Three  New  Sects  in  Savannah:  Methodists,  Baptists,  Roman  Catholics.  —  New  Jail.  — 
Night-watch  established  in  "1793.  —  Theatre.  —  The  Earliest  Theatrical  Representation  in  Savannah, 
in  1783. — Mr.  Goodwin's  School  for  Dancing.  —  Sign-boards  for  Streets. — The  Mayor  fined.  —  The 


CONTENTS 


xiii 


First  Mayor's  Court,  in  1796.  —  The  "Columbian  Museum  and  Advertiser."  —  The  Great  Fire,  in  1796.  — 
The  Circulating  Library,  in  1798.  —  The  Censu.s  of  1798.  —  The  Exchange  begun  in  1799.  —  The 
laying  of  its  Corner-stone. — Masonic  Hall  erected,  in  1799. — The  Old  Tavern.  —  Famous  Masons. — 
History  of  Solomon's  Lodge. — General  Oglethorpc'.s  Bil)U'. — List  of  Present  Lodges.  — The  Female 
Orphan  Asylum,  organized  in  1801.  —  Its  Present  Board.  —  Aaron  Burr's  Visit  to  Savannah  in  1802. 

—  Extract  from  the  '-Columbian  Museum  and  Advertiser."'  —  Romantic  History  of  tlie  Father  of 
Don  Carlos.  —  Storm  of  1801.  —  Salaries  of  City  Officials  in  1801.  —  City  Seal.  —  The  Old  United 
States  Bank. — Chatham  Academy  Building  erected. —  Its  Completion,  in  January,  1813.  — Improve- 
ments of  the  Present  Day  97 

CHAPTER  SEVENTH. 

Shock  of  Earthquake  in  Savannah  in  1811.— War  Excitement. — The  Arrival  of  Major-General 
T.  Pinckney.  —  Fort  Jackson,  no-w  Fort  Oglethorpe.  —  Fortifications  liegun.  —  A  Call  to  Arms  to  the 
Frenchmen  of  Savannah.  —  The  Hibernian  Society  organized.  —  Its  History.  —  Present  Officers.  — 
Fourth  of  July,  1812.  —  Effect  in  Savannah  of  Naval  Victories  in  Northern  Waters. — Resolutions 
of  Council. — Money  raised  to  fortify  the  City.  —  Connnittee  of  Vigilance  formed  in  1813.  —  Sir 
George  Cockburn. — Proclamation  of  Sir  Alexander  Cockrano.  — Capture  of  the  -'Epervier."  — 
Council's  Resolutions.  —  .Vhlermen  elected  in  1814. — Fortifications  of  the  City.  —  Arrival  of  Briga- 
dier-General Fkiyd. — Resolutions  of  Thanks  to  Gen.  A.  Jackson  for  Victory  before  New  Orleans. 
: — Proclamation  of  Peace. — Votes  of  Thanks. —  "Close  Shave  in  Finances."  —  A  Glance  at  City  Hotels. 

—  Carrier  System.  —  Names  of  Squares  and  Streets  in  Honor  of  Naval  Heroes. — Free  School  estab- 
lished in  181G. — Methodism  in  Savannah. — -Wesley  Chapel.  —  Eminent  Methodist  Ministers.  —  The 
Present  Theatre,  built  in  1818.  —  Programme  of  First  Performance.  —  The  "Georgian"  in  1818. — Dr. 
Harney's  -Curse  of  Savannah."  —  History  of  the  "Georgian."  —  Dedication  of  the  Present  Inde- 
pendent Presbyterian  Church  in  1819. — Eminent  Presbyterian  Divines.  —  Anderson-street  Mission. — 
Visit  of  President  James  Monroe.  — ■  Scarborough  House,  his  Headquarters.  —  Extract  descrip- 
tive of  the  Public  Dinner  in  Honor  of  the  President.  —  The  Steamship  "City  of  Savannah."  —  Its 
Voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  in  1819,  and  its  Subsequent  History  115 

CHAPTER  EIGHTH. 

The  Great  Fire  of  1820. — Extract  from  the  "Georgian."  —  Temporary  Market  in  South  Broad 
Street. — Yellow-fever  Epidemic.  —  Mortality. — Population. — Thanks  of  the  City  to  Peter  Schick. — 
The  Mayor's  First  Salary.  —  Corner-stone  of  the  Synagogue  laid  in  1820.  —  Brief  History  of  Mickva 
Israel. —Present  Edifice  and  Pastor.  —  The  Widows'  Society.  —  Mary  Telfair  Home.  — Present  Board 
of  Widows'  Society. — ^Spirit  of  Holidays. — Lowell  Mason. — -Origin  of  the  Music  of  "Greenland's 
Icy  Mountains."  —  St.  Andrew's  Society.  —  Present  Officers.  — -  Lafayette's  Visit  in  1825.  —  Extract 
from  the  Papers  of  the  Day.  —  Laying  of  the  Corner-stones  of  Greene  and  Pulaski  Monuments.  — 
Lafayette's  Headquarters  in  the  Present  Owens  Mansion. — The  Habersham  Mansion.  —  Formation  of 
First  Presbyterian  Church.  —  Lyceum  Hall.  —  Church  on  Broughton  Street.  —  Present  Edifice  and 
Pastor. — Fort  Pulaski.  — Limits  of  City  in  1830,  1835.  —  Old  Jail.  —  Fair  Lawn.  —  Oglethorpe 
Cantonment.  —  Theatre  occupied  by  the  United  States  Troops.  —  United  States  Barracks.  — •  Old  Court 
House. — Present  one. — Baptist  Church. — Rev.  Henry  Holcombe.  — Anecdote. — Division  of  Baptists. 

—  The  Reunion.  —  Present  Pastor  '   .  134 


xiv 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTEK  NINTH. 

Savannah's  Population  in  1838. — The  City  Hotel. — The  Mansion  House.  —  Captain  Wiltberger. 

—  Mrs.  Battey's  Boarding-house. — Origin  of  the  Pulaski  House. — A  Unique  Landlord.  —  Mrs.  Piatt's 
Boarding-house.  —  The  Screven  House.  —  Savannah  Hospital. — Present  Building  and  Board. — Georgia 
Infirmary.  —  Present  Board.  —  Signor  Blitz  in  Savannah.  —  Snow-storm. — Laying  of  the  Corner-stone 
of  the  Present  Christ  Church  Building.  —  Brief  History  of  some  of  its  Hectors.  —  Present  Rector.  — 
Boom  in  Savannah  in  1839.  —  Central  Railroad  System.  —  Present  Officers.  —  Savannah  Library.  — 
Origin  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  in  1839, — First  Home  on  Bryan  Street. — Hodgson  Hall. 

—  Mr.  Hodgson.  —  Present  Officers  of  Georgia  Historical  Society. — Dedication  of  St.  .John  the 
Baptist  Church. — Roman  Catholic  Parishes. — Cathedral. — St.  Patrick's. — Present  Pastors. — ^  Names 
of  New  Streets.  —  Public  Lamps.  —  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church.  — •  Its  Origin.  —  Bishop  Elliott.  — 
Present  Pastor. — Episcopal  Orphans'  Home. — Present  Board  of  Managers.  —  Puneral  Services  in 
Honor  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  —  Services  upon  the  Death  of  Andrew  Jackson.  — Lutheran  Church. 

—  Present  Edifice  and  Present  Pastor.  —  Savannah  Port  Society.  • —  Present  Officers.  —  Henry  Clay  in 
Savannah. — The  Convent. — -St.  Mary's  Home. — Corner-stone  of  the  County  Jail  laid  in  1846. — 
Mexican  War.  —  Georgia  Regiment.  —  Irish  Jasper  Greens.  —  Henry  R.  Jackson  152 

CHAPTER    TENTH.  -  . 

Bonaventure.  —  Dramatic  Scene.  —  The  Tattnalls.  —  Josiah  Tattnall.  —  Historic  Associations  of 
Bonaventure.  —  Daniel  Webster  in  Savannah  in  1847.  —  Trinity  Church.  —  Present  Pastor.  —  Chatham 
Artillery  Armory  erected.  —  Death  of  Col.  J.  S.  Mcintosh.  —  First  Telegraphic  Despatch  in  Savannah, 
in  1848.  —  Strakosch.  —  Visit  of  James  K.  Polk.  —  Death  of  Zachary  Taylor.  —  Present  Custom 
House  erected  in  18.50. — Custom-house  Statistics,  past  and  present. — Journalism  in  Savannah. — The 
"Morning  News."  —  Its  History.  — Forsyth  Park. — -Fall  of  Snow  in  1852. — The  Exchange. — Water- 
Works  introduced  into  the  City  in  1853.  — Artesian  Wells.  — Present  Superintendent  of  the  Water-Works. 

—  Savannah,  Florida,  and  Western  Railway  Company.  —  Present  Officers.  —  Naval  Stores.  —  Bethesda  and 
the  Union  Society.  —  Present  Officers. — Ex-President  Fillmore  in  Savannah  in  1854.  —  The  Yellow 
Fever  in  1854.  —  Destructive  Storm.  —  Letter  of  John  E.  Ward  to  the  Governor,  Herschel  V. 
Johnston. — Yellow  Fever  in  1858,  1876. — Pulaski    Monument — Ceremonies  attendant. — Yamacraw. 

—  Mansion  of  A.  A.  Smets. — Of  I.  K.  Tefft. — Frederika  Bremer  in  Savannah. — Her  Impressions 
of  the  City.  —  Distinguished  Visitors  to  Mr.  TefPt.  —  Mansion  of  the  Late  G.  W.  J.  De  Renne.  — 
Thackeray  in  Savannah  173 

CHAPTER  ELEVENTH. 

Col.  Charles  H.  Olmstead's  Sketch  of  Savannah  in  War  Time. — The  Remoteness  of  those 
Eventful  Years.  —  Intense  Excitement  in  the  Southern  States  during  the  Summer  of  1860.  —  The 
Effect  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  Election  in  Savannah.  —  The  Seizure  of  Fort  Pulaski  on  the  Third  of  January, 
1861,  by  Col.  A.  R.  Lawton. — The  "Impedimenta"  of  the  Troops. — Public  Meeting  in  Masonic  Hall. 

—  Judge  William  Law. — The  Ordinance  of  Secession  passed  in  Georgia  on  Nineteenth  of  January, 
1861.  —  The  Departure  of  Oglethorpe  Light  Infantry  on  Twenty-first  of  May,  1861.— The  Women  of 
Savannah. — Wayside  Homes. — Disappearance  of  Luxuries. — -The  Bonnet  in  1861. — The  Bonnet  in 


CONTENTS 


XV 


1865.  —  Privations.  —  Savannah  occupied  by  General  Sherman.  —  Destruction  caused  by  Sherman's 
Army.  —  Confederate  Uniforms  forbidden  to  be  worn.  —  Savannah  of  To-day. — Brief  Sketch  of  the 
Savannah  Volunteer  Guards.  —  Of  the  First  Volunteer  Eegiment  of  Georgia.  —  Its  Present  Field  and 
Staff  Officers,  with  all  of  its  Military  Organization.s  195 

CHAPTEK  TWELFTH. 

Modern  Savannah. — Public  School  System  established  in  1866. — Wesley  Monumental  Church. 

—  Its  Present  Pastor. — Industrial  Relief  Society. — Present  Officers  and  Board  of  Managers. — Gen. 
B.  E.  Lee  in  Savannah.  —  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant. — President  Arthur. — Sesqui-Centennial  Celebration 
in  1883. — Alexander  H.  Stephens  in  Savannah.  —  0])ening  Lines  of  Paul  Hayne's  Ode. — Yamacraw 
Fire  of  1883. — The  Great  Fire  of  1865. — The  Centennial  of  Chatham  Artillery.  —  Distinguished 
Visitors  in  Savannah.  —  Telfair  Academy.  —  Telfair  Hospital.  —  Its  Present  Managers.  —  The  Earth- 
quake of  1886. — Jasper  Monument. —  The  Jasper  Monument  Association. — Jasper's  Career. — The 
Centennial  of  the  First  African  Baptist  Church.  —  St.  Stephen's  Church. — The  Old  Brick  Cemetery. — 
Bonaventure.  —  Poem  by  Mrs.  Sigourney  upon  the  Death  of  Miss  Tapscott.  —  The  Roman  Catholic 
Cemetery. — Fort    Brown. — Laurel  Grove.- — The   Jewish   Cemetery. — ^  The  First  Jewish  Enclosure. 

—  Tybee  Island.  —  Martello  Tower.  —  Hospitals  and  Asylums.  —  Societies  and  Clubs.  —  The  Cotton 
Exchange. — Present  Officers. — The  Board  of  Trade. — Present  Officers.  —  General  Statistics. — 
Savannah's  Outlook  211 

CHAPTER  THIRTEENTH. 

A  Brief  Glance  at  the  Past  History  of  the  Savannah  Bar.  —  Its  Origin  coeval  with  the  State 
as  a  State. — High  Standing  of  the  Profession  from  its  Earliest  Days. — Superior  Court  reorganized 
in  1798. — Case  No.  1  filed  March  sixth,  1799. — Early  Lawyers  and  Judges.  —  Charles  Harris.  — T.  U. 
P.  Charlton.  —  William  Davies.  —  John  McPherson  Berrien.  —  The  Old  Red  Brick  Court  House.  — 
Clerk  of  the  Court,   Major  A.  B.  Fannin.  —  Hon.    James  M.  Wayne.  —  Matthew    Hall  McAllister. 

—  William  W.  Gordon. — William  B.  Fleming. — During  Judge  Law's  Term  tlie  Old  Court  House  torn 
down. — Court  held  in  the  Long  Room  of  the  Exchange.  —  The  Present  Building. — In  1845,  the 
Supreme  Court  organized  for  the  Correction  of  Errors. — "Riding  the  Circuit."  —  Lawyers'  Playtime. — 
Levi  S.  D'Lyon.  —  Mordecai  Sheftall. — Eminent  Names  of  the  Forty  Decade.  —  National  Honors  won 
by  the  Savannah  Bar. — Julian  Hartridge. — Present  Standing  of  the  Bar  231 

CHAPTER  FOURTEENTH. 

A  Brief  Glance  at  the  Medical  Profession  of  Savannah.  —  Preliminary  Remarks  upon  the  Settle- 
ment of  Georgia.  —  Doctors  Tailfer  and  Douglas.  —  Doctor  Nunis.  —  The  Georgia  Medical  Society 
incorporated  in  1804.^ — The  Act  of  Incorporation. —  Noble  Wymberly  Jones,  First  President  of  the 
Medical  Society.  —  John  Irvine,  First  Vice-President.  —  Dry-culture  for  Rice.  —  Doctor  W.  H.  Cuvler. 

—  Doctor  William  C.  Daniel.  — Doctor  W.  R.  Waring.  —  Doctor  J.  P.  Screven.  — Doctor  C.  P.  Richard- 
son. —  Doctor  R.  D.  Arnold.  —  Doctor  W.  G.  Bulloch.  —  Doctor  Joseph  Clay  Habersham.  —  His  Son, 
J.  C.  Habersham.  —  Doctor  J.  J.  Waring.  — The  Present  Officers  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society    .    .  237 


CONCLUSION 


246 


PAGE 

The  Will  of  James  Oglethorpe    ........  Frontispiece 

Coins         ............  Opposite  Chapter  I. 

General  James  Oglethorpe    .       .      ' .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  7 

Autograph  of  John  Wesley  ...........  13 

Bethesda        .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .    '  .       .  .15 

tomo-chi-chi  18 
The  Tree  under  which  Whitefield  Preached      .       .       .       .       .       .  .21 

Sir  Patrick  Houstoun's  Tombstone      '  .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .24 

Autograph  of  James  Habersham   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .36 

Seals   39 

Commercial  Way     ....  58 

Scarborough  and  Kent  Houses      ..........  67 

Washington's  Headquarters  .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .76 

The  Old  Chimney   83 

The  Gateway  to  the  Old  Brick  Cemetery   ........  88 

The  Washington  Guns   .       .       .       .       .       .  •      .       .       .       .       .        92,  93 

The  Old  Masonic  Hall  and  Inn  .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .98 

The  Old  Bible  op  Solomon's  Lodge      .........  105 

The  Exchange        .............  108 

The  United  States  Bank       .       .       .       .       .       .       ,       .       .       .  .110 

The  Theatre  and  Chatham  Academy    .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  .113 

Fort  Oglethorpe    .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .119 

The  Independent  Presbyterian  Steeple  and  Pulpit      .  '.        .        .        .  130 

Mask   .  133 

MiCKVA  Israel        ...       .       .       ,       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .136 

The  Owens  Mansion       .       .       .       .       .       .       ,       .       .       .       .  .142 

Autograph  of  Lafayette       .       .       ,       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .143 

The  Habersham  Mansion        .       .       ,       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  .146 

The  United  States  Barracks         .       .       .       ,       .       .       .       .       .  .149 

Christ  Church        ...  .........  154 

The  Old  Library    ..........       o       .       .  157 

(  xvii  ) 


XVll] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Hodgson  Hall 
Interior  of  the  Cathedral 
St.  John's  Steeple  . 
Interior  of  St.  John's  . 
Autograph  of  Henry  Clay 
The  Old  County  Jail 
Fac-simile  Poem 

Bon  a  VENTURE  .... 

Autograph  of  Daniel  Webster 
Forsyth  Park  .... 
The  "Water  Tower 
Autograph  of  W.  M.  Thackeray 
Fort  Pulaski  .... 
.The  Green  Mansion 
Autograph  of  General  W.  T.  Sherman 
The  Sword  of  General  R.  E.  Lee 
The  Weil  Mansion  ;  Autograph  of  Chester  A.  Arthur 
Autograph  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens  . 
The  Comer  Mansion  ;  Autograph  of  Jefferson  Davis 
Telfair  Academy  . 
Autograph  of  Grover  Cleveland 
The  Gordon  Mansion 
The  Martello  Tower 
The  Canal  .... 
The  Court  House  . 
The  Art  Room  ;  Telfair  Academy 
The  Hermitage 

Colonel  Estill's  Home  on  the  Isle  of  Hope 
Palmetto  .... 
Armor     .       .       .       .  , 


240, 


PAGE 

159 
162 
164 
165 
168 
169 
171 
175 
177 
184 
185 
194 
199 
205 
206 
214 
215 
215 
217 
219 
220 
221 
226 
232 
233 
235 
238 
241 
244 
247 


HISTORIC    AND    PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


i 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


CHAPTEE  I. 


NE  hundred  and  lifty-six  years  ago  the  "  woodland's  grey  arcades,  the  flickering 


V-/  umbrage,  and  half-tropic  lights"  of  the  primeval  forest  covered  the  site 
whereon  to-day,  in  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  a  great  city,  stands  Savannah,  the 
lovely  "Forest  City"  of  the  South. 

Where  now  the  myriad  feet  of  her  metropolitan  population  are  heard,  pressing 
on  in  the  pursuit  of  business  or  pleasure,  where  the  wheels  of  commerce  whir,  blent 
with  the  ceaseless  hum  of  traffic,  and  the  mighty  music  of  machinery  resounds,  once 
roamed  the  Red  Man,  following  the  chase  through  the  pathless  woods.  Here  flamed 
his  council-fires;  there,  through  the  forest  solitudes,  rang  the  wild  warrior's  war- 
whoops,  and  the  unerring  arrow  hurtled  on  its  path  of  death.  Here,  when  softer 
moods  wooed  them  from  the  war-path,  they  gathered  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace,  to 
rejoice  over  their  victories,  to  bury  their  dead,  to  celebrate,  in  their  rude,  aboriginal 
way,  the  marriage  feast  or  the  barbaric  rites  and  ancient  festivals  of  their  tribes. 

In  this  way,  for  many  a  year,  might  have  continued  the  primitive  life  of  these 
aborigines,  amid  the  sheltering  and  limitless  woods  skirting  the  green  shores  of  the 
beautiful  Savannah,  had  it  not  been  for  certain  events  which  occurred  at  this  time  in 
England.  These  were  events  of  great  importance,  and,  in  their  final  I'esults,  under 
the  guiding  hand  of  Providence,  shed  blessings  upon  a  continent. 

Indeed,  out  of  these  events  suddenly  grew  the  enterprise  which,  in  its  culmina- 
tion, changed  the  current  of  aboriginal  life  on  the  banks  of  the  peaceful  Savannah, 


2 


mSTOBIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


sowed  the  seeds  of  European  civilization  on  the  virgin  soil,  carved  a  place  for  the 
city  of  Savannah  out  of  the  primeval  forest,  and  laid  the  everlasting  foundation  of  a 
vast  and  magnificent  State. 

About  the  year  1729,  a  number  of  influential  citizens  of  London  organized 
themselves  into  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  ameliorating  the  deplorable  condition 
of  the  poor  of  England.  These  gentlemen  particularly  interested  themselves  in  the 
sufferings  of  the  wretched  debtor-class,  the  unfortunates  who,  for  various  causes 
being  unable  to  pay  their  debts,  fell  into  the  hands  of  merciless  creditors,  by  whom 
they  were  cast  into  prison.  They  were  virtually  treated  like  slaves,  and  \\^ere  fre- 
quently doomed  to  remain  for  life,  until  death,  more  merciful  than  the  Shylocks  who 
had  doomed  them  to  hopeless  imprisonment,  released  them  from  the  bondage  of 
their  horrible  fate. 

Embarrassed  in  their  benevolent  intentions,  by  the  laws  then  in  force  in  Eng- 
land, these  gentlemen  turned  their  eyes  to  America.  Uniting  the  purposes  of  a 
prudent  policy  with  those  of  a  noble  charity,  they  selected  the  land  lying  south  of 
the  Carolinas  and  north  of  the  Spanish  Floridas,  and  between  the  Savailnah  and 
Altamaha  rivers,  as  the  territory  for  a  new  province,  wherein  to  colonize  the  people 
who  they  had  determined  should  become  the  objects  of  their  charity. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  twenty-one  gentlemen  in  whose  wise  minds 
and  benevolent  hearts  the  movement  originated,  fraught  with  relief  for  the  victims 
of  greed  and  legalized  cruelty.    Honor  I)e  given  forever  to  these  illustrious  names  1 


John  Lord  Viscount  Percival, 

Edward  Digby, 

George  Carpenter, 

James  Oglethorpe, 

Geoi'ge  Heathcote, 

John  Laroche, 

James  Vernon, 


William  Beletha, 
Stephen  Hales, 
Thomas  Tower, 
Kobert  More, 
Robert  Hucks, 
Roger  Holland, 
William  Sloper, 


Francis  Eyles, 
John  Burton, 
Richard  Bandy, 
Arthur  Bradford, 
Samuel  Smith, 
Adam  Anderson, 
Thomas  Coram. 


The  petition  for  a  charter  for  the  new  province  met  with  the  approval  of  His 
Majesty  George  TI.  The  charter  was  granted  and  passed  under  the  great  seal  the 
ninth  of  June,  1732,  thereby  constituting,  for  a  period  of  twenty-one  years,  these 
twenty-one  nol)lemen  and  gentlemen  a  body  corporate,  trustees  for  establishing  the 
Colony  of  Georgia,  in  America. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


3 


Naturally,  the  question  arises,  what  emoluments  did  these  gentlemen  receive 
for  their  services?  It  was  not  the  silver  nor  the  golden  age  of  the  world,  nor 
yet  the  nineteenth  century,  and  they  received  naught ;  "  no  profit,  perquisite,  or 
fees  "  allowed.  The  spirit  of  philanthropy  bore  its  own  reward ;  thrice  honored 
trustees !  Would  that  that  spirit  which  animated  you  as  one  body  might  descend 
and  rest  upon  the  fair  city,  the  first  flickering  of  whose  life  was  preserved  by  your 
tender  care  ! 

Conspicuous  among  the  trustees  was  James  Oglethorpe  ;  at  first  one  among 
twenty- one,  he  soon  became  the  one,  for  nature  and  education  had  well  equipped 
him  to  be  leader  in  any  knightly  adventure.  A  naturally  adventurous,  romantic 
temperament  was  fostered  and  inflamed  by  the  reading  of  old  romances,  for  so 
Hannah  More  gives  the  clue  in  a  letter  to  Pepys,  written  in  1784:  "My  reading 
has  been  as  idle  as  the  rest  of  my  employments ;  and,  if  I  do  not  soon  reform,  I 
shall  become  a  convert  to  the  entreaties  of  my  gay  and  gallant  friend.  General 
Oglethorpe,  who  has  long  been  ti'ying  to  pi'oselyte  me  to  the  old  romances,  assur- 
ing me  that  it  is  the  only  way  to  acquire  noble  sentiments."^ 

Charming  picture,  is  it  not,  and  worthy  of  reproduction  on  canvas  !  Possibly 
over  an  afternoon  dish  of  tea,  the  famous  general  of  fourscore  years  and  more 
playfully  emphasized  the  value  of  romance  to  the  distinguished  maiden  of  near  two- 
score  years  —  the  halo  of  old  age  sparkling  with  the  enthusiasm  of  youth.  Surely 
hone  but  pleasant  memories  of  his  early  days  in  Georgia,  the  outcome  of  that 
romance,  lingered  in  the  mind  of  General  Oglethorpe. 

.With  their  charter  approved  and  granted,  the  trustees  proceeded  to  put  into 
execution  their  philanthropic  designs.  ^  The  would-be  founders  of  the  new  provmce 
were  selected  with  much  care,  for  the  trustees  wished  the  foundation-stones  to  be 
of  the  right  material.  As  much  as  possible  they  endeavored  to  exclude  lazy  or 
viciously  inclined  natures.  By  the  seventeenth  of  November,  1732,  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  "  sober,  moral  and  industrious "  persons  were  gathered 
together  on  the  galley  "  Ann  "  ready  for  embarkation,  under  the  personal  leadership 
of  the  trustee,  James  Oglethorpe,  and  the  spiritual  guidance  of  Heni'y  Herbert,  D.D. 
Familiar  to  all  Georgians  is  that  first  voyage,  the  weary  fifty-five  days  from  Graves- 
end  to  Rebellion  Roads,  at  Charleston,  the  warm  reception  given  Oglethorpe  by 
the  Governor  and  Council  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  temporary  lodgment  of  the 


1  Memoirs  of  James  Ogletliorpe.  —  Wright. 


4 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTUEEBQUE  SAVANNAH 


colonists  in  the  new  barracks  of  his  Majesty's  Independent  Company  at  Beaufort. 
In  the  meanwhile,  Oglethorpe,  accompanied  by  William  Bull,  a  civil  engineer  of 
South  Carolina,  sailed  in  a  small  craft  into  the  Savannah  river,  to  make  choice  of 
a  site  for  the  new  province.  Momentous  decision  !  Little  dreamed  the  handful 
of  Yamacraw  Indians,  in  peaceful  settlement  at  the  west  end  of  a  bluff  on  the 
banks  of  the  Savannah  river,  that  their  few  wigwams,  with  a  trader's  rude  hut 
alone  breaking  the  monotony  of  pine  forests,  attracted  the  gaze  of  an  anxious  eye 
in  search  for  a  home  for  the  ship-load  of  waiting  people.  It  is  a  tribute  to  the 
Indians'  sagacity  that  Oglethorpe's  choice  fell  upon  the  cleared  space  on  the  east, 
adjoining  the  Yamacraw  village.  B}^  means  of  the  trader's  wife,  Mary  Musgrove, 
a  half-breed  woman  fiimiliar  with  the  English  and  Indian  tongues,  Oglethorpe 
made  a  provisional  treaty  with  the  Yamacraws,  till  the  surrounding  tribes  of  the 
Creek  Nation  could  be  consulted.  The  site  decided  upon,  Oglethorpe  named  it 
for  the  river  flowing  by.  Wise,  first  act  of  his  !  Of  like  importance  to  the  life 
of  a  town  is  its  name,  as  that  of  a  child,  to  its  after  years.  Had  Oglethorpe 
stooped  to  the  weakness  of  perpetuating  his  personal  fame,  by  affixing  the  French 
ville  to  his  sturdy  English  name  (a  characteristic,  by  the  way,  of  the  nineteenth 
rather  than  that  of  the  eighteenth  century),  or  had  he  sought  to  ingraft  a  name  of 
Old-World  flavor  upon  the  virgin  soil  of  the  New,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
one  of  the  charms  of  our  city  had  been  forever  lost.  Let  us  rejoice  that  Savannah 
river  and  Savannah  town  are  left  at  liberty  to  tell  their  tale  of  Indian  origin  down 
the  long  line  of  centuries  to  come,  when  memories  of  the  red  men  will  have  been 
consigned  to  the  fable  age  of  our  country.  Oglethorpe  and  William  Bull  re- 
turned to  the  expectant  colonists  with  the  cheerful  news  of  a  site  selected.  On  the 
first  of  February,  1733,  O.S.,  by  means  of  one  sloop  and  five  plantation  boats,  the 
colonists  were  landed  at  the  western  end  of  the  bluff,  whence  an  easy  ascent  could 
be  made  to  the  table- land  above.  What  a  day  to  be  remembei-ed  by  the  colonists  ! 
Their  first  upon  the  soil  of  Georgia,  the  land  of  their  weary  seeking,  where  the  troub- 
lous prolilem  of  support  would  solve  itself.  That  pleasant  morning  in  early  south- 
ern spring,  the  colonists  with  light  hearts  hauled  their  possessions  along  the 
bluff  to  the  four  pine-trees,  a  conspicuous  landmark  in  the  well-cleared  space 
selected  by  Oglethorpe  as  the  rallying-point  of  the  settlement. 

Branches  were  quickly  torn  from  the  pine,  cedars,  and  evergreen  oaks,  and 
made  into  rude  bowers  for  shelter,  or  forked  poles  driven  into  the  ground  with  one 
on  top,  upon  which  were  hung  sheets,  cloaks,  and  blankets.    These  were  the  tents. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


5 


What  a  motley  sight  would  the  colony  have  presented  to  the  eyes  of  a  niembev  of 
a  well-ordered  garrison  town  ;  but  no  one  ventured  to  approach  the  infant  settle- 
ment, to  disturb  the  privacy  of  its  birth,  except  the  untutored  savage,  who,  in  Indian 
state,  loyal  to  the  provisional  treaty,  advanced  to  welcome  the  white  brothers. 

With  a  courtesy  that  ever  marked  Oglethorpe's  treatment  of  the  Indians,  they 
were  invited  into  his  tent  to  partake  of  some  refreshment  before  their  departure. 
Sleep,  the  sweetest  ever  given  to  man,  must  have  visited  and  rested  that  fii'st  night 
like  a  benediction  upon  the  camp  of  wearied,  happy  mortals  ! 

On  the  ninth  of  February,  so  runs  the  record,  Oglethorpe  and  Mr.  Bull  marked 
out  a  square,  the  streets,  and  forty  lots  for  houses,  and  on  the  same  day  began  the 
first  house. 

By  the  twelfth,  Oglethorpe  wrote  that  two  clapboard  houses  were  built,  and 
three  sawed  houses  framed,  a  sufficiently  short  time  to  I)uild  two  houses,  even  for  a 
southern  clime.  Mark  the  square  at  Savannah's  foundation,  which  has  ever  been 
one  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the  city.  Could  the  early  friend  and  protector  of 
the  infant  coldny,  Tomo-chi-chi,  return  from  his  happy  hunting-ground  to  the  scene 
of  his  former  life  along  the  Savannah  river,  after  the  lapse  of  this  century  and  a  half, 
the  present  city  would  be  to  him  a  collection  of  Savannahs,  all  modelled  after  the 
original  one  of  the  "Father  of  the  Colony." 

In  May,  the  representatives  of  the  nine  tribes  of  Creek  Indians  met  with  the 
English  in  Savannah,  to  effect  a  treaty  satisfactory  to  both.  Mutual  concessions 
were  made,  the  colonists  agreeing  to  make  restitution  for  any  injuries  done  to  the 
Indians,  the  Indians  allowing  the  "  trustees'  people  "  to  make  use  of  and  possess  all 
lands  that  they  needed  for  their  comfort  or  subsistence. 

No  barter  of  wampum  or  rum  prevailed.  The  mercantile  spirit  did  not  enter 
into  this  ideal  meeting  of  the  red  man  and  the  white  man.  Upon  the  plane  of  man 
to  man  they  met,  — a  pleasing  picture  to  dwell  upon,  amid  the  sickening  scenes  of 
bloodshed  and  butchery  that  typify  the  usual  dealings  of  the  Indians  with  the 
colonists  of  the  Atlantic  States.  About  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  month  of  colonial 
life,  on  July  seventh,  the  colonists  rested  from  their  steady  labors  of  wood-sawing, 
hewing,  and  building,  and,  by  command  of  Oglethorpe,  assembled  in  front  of  his 
tent,  under  the  four  pine-trees,  to  apportion  by  formal  act  the  village  into  squares, 
streets,  and  lots. 

A  July  morning,  the  air  filled  with  the  soft  radiance  of  full  summer,  foliage  and 
flowers  luxuriant,  refreshed  by  the  copious  June  showers,  the  whole  earth  teeming 


6 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


with  glowing  life,  it  was  a  time  auspicious  for  the  public  rejoicing  of  a  grateful 
people,  an  assembling  together  to  call  down  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  upon  the 
formal  dedication  of  an  infant  town  ;  with  full  heart  and  uplifted  voice  they  sang 
that  the  lines  had  fallen  to  them  in  a  pleasant  place,  and  that  theirs  was  truly  a 
goodly  heritage. 

The  square,  the  tirst  thought  of  the  founder,  was  named  Johnson,  in  honor  of 
Robert  Johnson,  Governor  of  South  Carolina.  In  its  centre  was  placed  a  large  sun- 
dial, for  the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants.  Four. wards  were  marked  off  with  the 
names  of  Heathcote,  Percival,  Derby,  and  Decker,  so  called  for  four  of  the  trustees. 
These  wards  were  divided  into  sixteen  tithings,  also  named  in  honor  of  the  trustees 
and  benefactors  of  the  colony.  Then  followed  the  assignment  of  streets,  Abercorn, 
Drayton,  Bull,  and  Whitaker  running  north  and  south,  the  Bay,  Bryan  and  St. 
Julian  streets  intersecting  them  at  right  angles,  hve  of  them  perpetuating  the 
memory  of  disinterested  liberality  on  the  part  of  South  Carolinians,  while  the  sixth 
was  named  for  the  Earl  of  Abercorn,  another  wise  thought  due  to  Oglethorpe,  by 
means  of  which  were  implanted  \vithin  the  soil  itself  the  names  of  Georgia's  large- 
hearted  benefactors  to  go  down  the  ages  m  everj'-day  parlance.  The  assignment 
of  lots  followed  upon  the  naming  of  streets  and  wards,  requiring  much  tact  on  the 
part  of  Oglethorpe  to  satisfy  all  in  the  choice  of  lots.  Did  he  foresee  murmurs  and 
differences,  and  so  arrange  that  the  mid-day  meal  should  immediately  follow,  pro- 
vided by  his  own  liberality?  Ah,  a  rare  tactician  was  he  I  Very  considerately,  the 
writer  of  the  records  has  handed  down  a  menu  of  that  tirst  public  dinner  in  Georgia. 
Let  us  give  thanks  to  that  unknown  scribe,  who  possibly  had  some  suggestion  of 
the  idle  speculator  about  him,  or  the  garrulous  gossip,  —  never  mind  this  most  idle 
speculation,  he  has  our  thanks  for  the  record  of  those  dishes  served  to  the  early 
Savannahians,  —  "  fresh  beef,  turkeys,  venison,  and  vegetables,  and  English  beer." 
With  what  gusto,  what  satisfaction  must  they  have  attacked  the  hearty  venison 
and  turkey,  washing  it  down  with  liberal  draughts  of  English  beer,  and  washing 
away  at  the  same  time  all  ill-feeling  or  disappointment  concerning  the  allotment  of 
lands.  No  delicate  side-dish  was  needed  to  tempt  their  appetites,  the  proud  con- 
sciousness that  they  were  recognized  freeholders  proved  sufficient  appetizer  to 
what,  upon  a  July  day,  seems  somewhat  heavy  eating  to  the  more  daintily  organ- 
ized palate  of  the  nineteenth  century.  No  record  has  been  kept  of  post-prandial 
speeches.  The  business  of  the  day  was  resumed  by  the  establishment  of  a  town 
Court  of  Kecord.    The  bailiffs  were  inducted  into  office,  a  jury  empanelled,  and  the 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


7 


first  court  held  in  Georgia.  This  court  was  composed  of  three  IiailifFs,  a  recorder 
acting  as  clerk,  and  twelve  freeholders.  Will  not  this  explain  the  lack  of  after- 
dinner  speeches?  It  is  well  to  preserve  a  proper  decorum  of  silence,  prior  to  so 
momentous  an  occasion  as  the  formation  of  a  court.  Messrs.  Samuel  Parker,  Thomas 
Young,  Joseph  Cole,  John  Wright, 
John  West,  Timothy  Bowling,  John 
Milledge,  Henry  Close,  Walter  Fox, 
John  Grady,  James  Carwell,  and 
Richard  Cannon  composed  the  first 
Grand  Jury.  A  few  days  after  Sa- 
vannah's promotion  to  a  town,  a  col- 
ony of  thirty  or  forty  Israelites  ar- 
rived direct  from  London.  The  civil 
disabilities  under  which  they  labored 
in  Savannah,  and  the  greater  induce- 
ments held  out  by  Charlestonians, 
led  them  soon  to  shake  oflf  the  dust 
of  Savannah  for  the  older  and  more 
prosperous  town  of  Charleston.  But 
three  families  of  the  first  colony  re- 
mained, the  Minis,  the  Sheftalls,  and 
the  De  Lyons,  whose  descendants, 
from  that  day  to  this,  have  made 
honorable  record  in  the  history  of 
the  town  of  their  choice.  The  three 
families  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  rich  and  flourishing  branch  of  citizens,  in 
numbers  constituting  six  per  cent,  of  the  population,  and  in  wealth  about  fourteen 
per  cent. 

What  may  be  ranked  the  pet  scheme  of  the  trustees,  was  the  attempt  to  make 
of  Georgia  an  oil,  wine,  and  silk  gTowing  colony.  For  this  purpose,  at  the  east  end 
of  the  town,  beyond  East  Broad  street,  where  stood  the  old  gas-works,  ten  acres 
of  land  were  laid  off"  for  the  trustees'  garden.  Within  this  space  was  a  high 
mound  of  earth,  so  runs  tradition,  marking  the  spot  of  conference  held  between 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  an  Indian  chief  in  1584,  when  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  is 
supposed  to  have  touched  on  the  coast  of  Georgia.    It  also  marked  the  burial-place 


GENER/IL  JAMES  OGLETHORPE. 


8 


HISTORIC  AND  VICTUREBQUE  SAVANNAH 


of  the  Indian  king,  who  chose  it  in  memory  of  the  eventful  experience  in  his  life, 
the  compact  of  friendship  with  the  "  great  white  man  with  a  red  beard."  The  gar- 
den was  delightfully  situated  on  undulating  ground,  the  river  flowing  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill.  On  one  side  it  was  sheltered  by  a  grove  of  American  ash,  bay,  hickory, 
myrtle,  sassafras,  and  other  choice  trees  and  shrubs  spared  from  the  original  forest. 
'Jlie  tulip  laurel,  now  the  pride  and  glory  of  Savannah,  abounded.  Tropical  plants 
were  secured  by  Doctor  William  Houstoun,  an  able  botanist,  who  visited  Madeira, 
the  West  Indies,  and  northern  parts  of  South  America,  in  the  interest  of  the  trus- 
tees' garden.  The  most  distant  parts  of  the  world  contributed  something  to  the 
garden  :  olive-trees  from  Venice,  barilla-seed  from  Spain,  and  kali  from  Egypt. 
The  cross-walks  were  bordered  by  orange-trees,  while  the  intermediate  squares 
were  planted  with  white  mulberry-trees.  In  the  cold  part  of  the  garden  were  all 
kinds  of  fruit-trees,  brought  from  England,  and  in  a  warmer  portion,  trees  and  fruits 
indigenous  to  Southern  Europe.  Neither  time  nor  expense  was  spared  to  make 
the  garden  a  very  Hesperides  in  beauty.  The  description  reads  like  a  fairy  tale 
rather  than  reality.  Witli  a  presto  change,  one  is  transformed  to  a  veritable 
paradise  of  good  things  on  the  borders  of  the  crude  settlement.  The  visions  of 
the  trustees  were  glorious,  but  ill-timed,  giving  rise,  doubtless,  to  the  phrase  used 
of  Oglethorpe  l)y  a  well-known  writer  of  the  day,  as  the  "visionary  Lycurgus  of 
Georgia."  To  the  colonists,  the  practical  act  of  felling  pine-trees,  to  provide  them- 
selves rude  houses  for  shelter,  called  forth  all  of  their  energy  and  enthusiasm ;  rare 
exotics  wei'e  left  to  languish  and  die,  and  like  the  oil,  wine,  and  silk  industry  it  was 
intended  to  promote,  the  garden  flourished  for  a  day,  then  vanished,  to  be  remem- 
bered only  as  a  beautiful  dream  of  the  past.  The  silk  culture  dragged  out  a  longer 
existence  than  did  either  the  oil  or  wine  culture.  The  idea  was  firmly  rooted  with 
the  trustees  that  Georgia  must  become  a  silk-growing  colony :  this  idea  implanted 
within  their  minds,  became  an  expression  of  their  political  creed  by  means  of  the 
seal.  The  seal  of  the  trustees  had  for  the  device  of  one  face,  two  figures  resting 
upon  urns,  representing  the  rivers  Savannah  and  Altamaha,  the  north-eastern 
and  south-western  boundaries  of  the  Province,  between  which  the  genius  of  the 
colony  was  seated,  with  a  cap  of  liberty  on  her  head,  a  spear  in  one  hand,  and  a 
cornucopia  in  the  other,  with  the  inscription,  "  Oolonia  Georgia  Aug.'''  On  the 
other  face  was  a  representation  of  silk-worms,  some  beginning  and  others  complet- 
ing their  labors,  which  were  characterized  by  the  motto,  "  Non  sibi,  sed  alus." 
One  face  was  used  for  legislative  acts,  deeds,  and  commissions ;  the  other,  the 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


9 


common  seal,  for  grants  and  orders.  The  first  map  of  the  town,  drawn  by  Peter 
Gordon,  in  March,  1734,  gives  an  accurate  description  of  Savannah  as  it  then  was; 
the  arfless  manner  of  representation  of  the  miniature  settlement,  perhaps  makes  a 
more  graphic  picture  than  many  a  more  ambitious  attempt.  A  marked  extension 
is  noticed  in  the  town  ;  four  squares  are  marked  out.  Forty  houses  were  originally 
built  for  the  freeholders,  all  of  one  size,  sixteen  by  twenty-two  feet;  in  1734, 
including  the  public  buildings,  there  were  ninety-one  houses,  varying  in  size  ;  and, 
according  to  the  record,  "  the  inhabitants  were  in  "a  healthy  and  pi'osperous  condition." 
The  rent  of  the  best  houses  was  thirty  pounds,  that  of  the  poorest,  ten  pounds. 
To  a  casual  first  glance  the  Savannah  of  1734  appears  the  Savannah  of  1888.  The 
city  has  expanded  in  the  beautiful  regularity  of  its  first  plan,  the  salient  features  of 
the  babe  recognized  in  its  mature,  full  development.  According  to  Wright,  a 
biographer  of  Oglethorpe,  "His  imagination  depicted  a  populous  city  with  a  large 
square  for  markets  and  other  public  purposes  in  every  quarter ;  wide  and  regular 
streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  shaded  by  rows  of  noble  trees.  The 
forty  rough  wooden  houses,  the  best  of  which  now  serves  as  a  place  of  public 
worship  and  as  a  school  for  the  children,  would  give  way  to  durable  and  stately 
abodes;  and  above  the  foliage  would  arise  the  towers  and  spires  of  numerous 
churches."  How  did  Oglethorpe  happen  to  decide  upon  this  plan?  Was  it  original 
with  him,  or  was  it  made  at  his  suggestion  by  some  English  designer?  These 
and  similar  questions  arise,  alas,  to  remain  unanswered.  Information  is  meagre 
resrardino-  the  methods  of  work  in  the  infant  settlement.  But  a  student  of  historical 
research  of  Savannah  has  furnished  a  clue  that  permits  a  reasonable  conjecture 
leading  to  the  origin  of  the  plan.  The  absence  of  facts  permits  suggestions 
legitimately  traced  to  logical  conclusions.  In  the  Georgia  Historical  Library  at 
Hodgson  Hall  is  a  heavy  folio  volume,  showing  through  distinct  marks  of  age  the 
remains  of  an  elegant  work  which  was  printed  in  London,  in  the  year  1728,  for  its 
author,  Robert  Costell.  Th^  book  is  entitled  the  "  Villas  of  the  Ancients  Illus- 
trated," and  appended  to  it  is  a  list  of  subscribers,  among  them  the  name  of  "James 
Oglethorpe,  Esq.,  two  books."  Ah,  here  is  a  thought !  Did  the  love  of  old  romance 
carry  the  adventurous  general  back  to  classic  days  to  gratif}^  that  appetite  ?  But 
why  two  books?  —  surely  one  would  have  sufficed  him.  Was  there  not  some 
personal  motive,  a  desire  to  befriend  the  author? 

Further  light  arises.  This  Robert  Costell,  of  whom  it  is  said  he  was  "emi- 
nently skilled  in  architecture,"  had  the  misfoiiune  to  become  impecunious  and 


10 


HIHTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


involved  in  debt.  In  those  days,  indebtedness  regarded  as  a  crime,  he  was 
forthwith  cast  into  prison.  There  he  met  a  most  horrible  death  from  small-pox, 
owing  to  the  barbarity  of  a  warden  who  thrust  him  into  an  infected  house  despite 
his  despairing  entreaties.  For  some  time  had  Oglethorpe  known  him.  When  he 
was  thrown  into  prison  Oglethorpe  visited  him.  The  shocking  inhumanity  of 
Costell's  keeper  may  have  l)een  the  influence  that  turned  Oglethorpe  towards 
prison  reformation.  And  the  book,  the  "Villas  of  the  Ancients,"  the  work  of  one 
who  fell  a  victim  to  prison  outrages,  may  have  been  a  moving  cause  to  that  colony 
which  was  destined  to  give  the  light  of  heaven  and  liberty  to  many  a  prison-bound 
soul  !  For,  according  to  our  local  historian,  the  book  al)ounds  in  passages  that  would 
be  useful  to  one  contemplating  a  settlement,  its  proper  location,  looking  to  the 
health,  comfort,  and  convenience  of  the  settlers.  It  also  contains  a  numl)erof  plates, 
"which,  to  an  unprofessional  eye,  present  some  points  of  resemblance  to  certain 
features  in  the  plan  of  our  cit3^"  Such  is  the  conclusion  of  the  suggestion,  carried 
out  logically,  that  Oglethorpe  was  indebted  to  Costell  for  his  plan  of  Savannah. 
Take  it  for  what  it  is  worth,  to  many  doubtless  it  will  appear  as  a  just  honor  paid  to 
the  memory  of  the  lamented  Costell.  Then,  from  among  the  bay  and  laurel  showered 
upon  Oglethorpe  and  William  Bull  for  the  beautiful  plan  of  our  city,  preserve  one 
blossom,  silently  if  you  wish,  but  preserve  it  for  the  author  of  the  "  Villas  of  the 
Ancients  "  ! 

In  1736, Francis  Moore,  a  voyager,  visited  Savannah.  His  account  embodies  a 
very  full  description  of  the  town  and  its  government.^  "  Each  freeholder  has  a  lot  in 
town,  sixty  feet  by  ninety  feet,  besides  which  he  has  a  lot  beyond  the  conmion  of  five 
acres,  for  a  garden.  Every  ten  houses  make  a  tithing,  and  to  every  tithing  there  is 
a  mile  square,  which  is  divided  into  twelve  lots  besides  roads  ;  each  freeholder  of 
the  tithing  has  a  lot  or  farm  of  forty-five  acres  there,  and  two  lots  are  reserved  by 
the  trustees,  in  order  to  defray  the  charge  of  the  public."  These  last  were  called 
"Trust  Lots,"  and  are  now  known  as  such.  In  the  new  and  accurate  account  of  the 
provinces  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia^  is  the  following:  "The  author  of  these 
pages  is  credibly  informed  that  the  trustees  will  reserve  to  themselves  square  lots 
of  ground,  interspersed  at  proper  distances  among  the  lands  which  shall  be  given 
away.  As  the  country  fills  with  people  these  lots  will  become  valuable,  and  at 
moderate  rents  will  be  a  growing  fund  to  provide  for  those  whose  melancholy  cases 


1  Geoi';;i;i  Ilistoncal  Collections. 


'  Ibid. 


HISTORIC  AND   riGTVBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


U 


may  require  assistance  hereafter."  To  return  to  Francis  Moore's  account:  "The 
town  is  laid  out  for  two  hundred  and  forty  freeholds ;  the  quantity  of  land  necessary 
for  that  number  is  twenty-four  square  miles  ;  every  forty  houses  in  town  make  a 
ward,  to  which  four  square  miles  in  the  country  belong;  each  ward  has  a  constable, 
and  under  him  four  tithing  men.  Where  the  town  land  ends,  the  villages  begin  ; 
four  villages  make  a  ward  out,  which  depends  upon  one  of  the  wards  within  the 
town.  The  use  of  this  is,  in  case  a  war  should  happen,  the  villages  without  may 
have  places  in  the  town  to  bring  their  cattle  and  families  into  for  refuge,  and  for 
that  purpose  there  is  a  square  left  in  every  ward,  big  enough  for  the  outwards  to 
encamp  in.  There  is  a  ground  also  kept  around  about  the  town  ungranted,  in  order 
for  the  fortifications  whenever  occasion  shall  require."  The  houses  varied  in 
height  from  one  to  three  stories,  the  boards  planed  and  painted  white,  — a  long  step 
beyond  the  rough,  unpainted  boards  of  the  first  settlers.  They  were  built  at  wide 
distances  from  one  another,  for  fear  of  tire  ;  each  lot  with  a  front  and  back  street  was 
fenced  in  by  split  poles.  Near  the  river  side  was  a  guard-house  enclosed  with  pali- 
sades a  foot  thick.  Here  there  were  nineteen  or  twenty  cannon  mounted,  and  a 
continual  guard  kept  by  the  freeholders.  No  one  house  commanded  Francis  Moore's 
attention  by  its  superiority  of  size  or  of  building.  "  All  west  of  Jefierson  street, 
from  the  blutt'  to  the  south  side  of  South  Broad  street,  thence  to  the  eastern  limits 
of  the  city,  was  the  boundary.  On  the  trees,  at  intervals  along  this  boundary-line, 
planks,  one  side  painted  white,  the  other  red,  were  nailed,  to  show  the  people  they 
could  not  go  over  that  mark  to  cut  wood,  as  it  belonged  to  the  Indians."  What 
realistic  art  on  the  part  of  the  originator  of  those  sign-boards  !  The  red  side  for  the 
red  man,  the  white  side  for  the  white  man.  He  would  be  welcomed  by  a  certain 
school  of  artists  of  the  present  day. 

The  broad  charity  underlying  the  colony  of  Georgia,  its  catholicity  of  creed, 
permitting  all  but  papists  to  seek  shelter  within  its  borders,  penetrated  the  storm- 
tossed  continent  of  Europe,  where  the  first  of  the  eighteenth  century  witnessed  a 
great  upheaval  in  religious  beliefs  ;  men  seeking  relief  of  conscience  broke  away  from 
the  Eoman  Church,  and  rushed  to  the  other  extreme,  a  wild  fanaticism  of  life,  each 
leader  in  the  exaltation  of  a  singleness  of  purpose  supposed  himself  the  instrument 
appointed  of  God  to  purify  the  world.  Many  were  the  followers.  Hardships, 
degradations,  persecutions,  only  served  as  goads  to  their  fervor  and  zeal.  To 
such  came  the  glad  tidings  that  on  the  shores  of  the  New  World,  in  a  land  of 
perpetual  summer  (for  exaggerated  speech  was  indulged  in  even  in  those  good 


12 


HIbrOFilV  AND   PICTUEESQUE  SAVANNAH 


old  times),  was  a  home  where  liberty  of  conscience  was  granted  to  all  except 
the  papist,  against  whom  they  were  in  rebellion.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  that  there 
turned  great  tides  of  humanity  towards  the  haven  of  rest,  there  to  worship  and 
"serve  God  in  their  own  way"?  There  thronged,  according  to  William  Bacon 
Stevens,  D.D.,  in  his  "History  of  Georgia,"  "Vaudois  from  the  shadow  of  Mount 
Jura,  Swiss  from  the  mountainous  and  pastoral  Grisons,  Piedmontese  from  the 
south  growing  districts  of  Lombardy,  Germans  from  the  Archbishopric  of  Salz- 
burg, in  Bavaria,  Moravians  from  Herrnhut,  Jews  from  Portugal,  and  Highlanders 
from  Scotland."  Each  nationality  brought  its  peculiar  customs,  habits,  and  asso- 
ciations to  the  shores  of  the  new  home.  . 

In  December,  1735,  what  is  known  as  the  "Great  Embarcation  "  sailed  from 
London.  Oglethorj^e  returned  to  the  colonj'  after  some  months'  sojourn  in  England, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  present  his  personal  account  of  the  undertaking  to  the 
trustees,  and  to  exhibit  that  splendid  specimen  of  Indian  manhood,  Tomo-chi-chi, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  nephew,  with  a  number  of  braves.  Dreading  the 
approach  of  an  English  winter,  the  Indians  had  sometime  before  returned  to  Georgia. 
Two  hundred  and  thirty-one  persons  were  sent  over  under  the  charge  of  the  trus- 
tees. Constables  were  appointed  by  Oglethorpe  to  preserve  order ;  but  the  only 
misdeed  recorded  was  that  of  a  boy  detected  in  stealing  turnips.  Rash  youth  ! 
What  madness  led  to  so  desperate  an  act?  A  mention  of  the  various  groups  consti- 
tuting the  voyagers  of  the  "  Great  Embarcation "  will  make  clear  the  universal 
decorum  characterizing  it ;  alas,  that  one  exception  !  Conspicuous  among  them  were 
twenty-five  Moravians,  under  the  care  of  the  venerable  Bishop  David  Nitschman,  a 
number  of  Salzburgers,  with  Philip  George  Frederick  de  Reck,  and  finally  a  group 
around  which  centres  a  widespread  interest,  the  brothers  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
with  their  friends  and  co-laborers,  the  Reverend  Benjamin  Ingraham  and  Charles  De- 
lamotte.  The  voyage  was  long  and  stormy;  not  till  the  fifth  of  February,  1736,  did 
the  ship  cast  anchor  ofi"  Tybee  Island,  where  the  sea-wearied  eyes  were  refreshed  by 
the  groves  of  waving  pines  and  "  the  bloom  of  spring  in  the  depth  of  winter."  Early 
in  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  a  calm,  beautiful  Sunday,  the  voyagers,  led  l)y 
Oglethorpe,  landed  on  a  small  uninhabited  island  over  against  Tybee  —  "Peeper  or 
Coxspur  "  by  name.  There,  on  a  rising  knoll,  with  his  fellow-passengers  surround- 
ing him,  did  John  Wesley  first  lift  his  voice  in  prayer  in  the  land  where  the  present 
generation  sees  his  followers  numbered  by  the  millions,  Oglethorpe's  first  order  upon 
his  return  to  Savannah  was  for  the  erection  of  a  house  in  the  upper  square  (now 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


13 


Court-House  square),  to  serve  for  a  court  house,  and  for  divine  service  till  a  church 
could  be  built.  Previous  to  this  a  hut  thirty  feet  long  by  twelve  feet  wide,  made 
of  split  boards,  and  built  on  Oglethorpe's  first  arrival,  had  served  to  hold  courts  as 
well  as  divine  service.    This  was  situated  in  the  rear  of  the  present  Custom  House. 

The  Reverend  John 
Wesley  had  been  appointed     fJ  .^^^  /^^^ 
by  the  "  Society  for  Propa-  ^ 
gating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 

Parts,"  a  Church  of  England  missionary  to  succeed 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Quincy.  The  fifteenth  of 
March,  Wesley  records  that  he  removed  to  the 
minister's  house,  which  he  found  large  enough  for  a  larger  family  than  theirs,  "  with 
many  conveniences  besides  a  good  garden."  Sunday,  April  ninth,  he  writes,  "  Began 
public  prayers  in  the  Court  House,  a  large,  convenient  place,"  — the  building  doubt- 
less erected  in  accordance  with  Oglethorpe's  order.  Tradition  designates  the  site  of 
Andrew  Hanley's  paint-shop  as  the  place  of  Wesley's  first  sermon  in  Savannah.  So 
strongly  rooted  and  accepted  is  this  ti'adition  that  the  Methodists  sought  to  secure 
the  site  for  a  church.  Its  then  owner,  recognizing  the  value  of  tradition,  doubled, 
trebled,  even  quadrupled  upon  the  original  value  placed  upon  the  lot,  till  the  Meth- 
odists, indignant,  withdrew  from  further  negotiations.  Through  the  Wesleys,  the 
early  life  of  Savannah  and  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  at  large  is  linked  with  one  of 
the  most  powerful  religious  movements  of  the  eighteenth  century.  John  Wesley 
himself  says:  "The  first  rise  to  Methodism  was  in  1729,  when  four  of  us  met  to- 
gether at  Oxford.  The  second  was  at  Savannah  in  1736,  when  twenty  or  thirty 
persons  met  at  my  house.  The  last  was  at  London,  on  this  day.  May  first,  1738, 
when  forty  or  fifty  of  us  agreed  to  meet  together  every  Wednesda}^  evening."  Of 
the  four  young  men  who  met  together  at  Oxford,  all  visited  Savannah,  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  Benjamin  Ingraham,  and  George  Whitefield,  three  of  them  having 
the  charge  of  churches  in  the  colony.  Verily,  Savannah  has  every  right  to  be  a 
stronghold  of  Methodism.  A  mistaken  notion  has  somehow  caught  the  popular 
credence  regarding  the  Wesleys  and  Whitefield.  They  were  all  Church  of  England 
men,  and  as  such  appointed  to  be  chaplains  in  Savannah.  Their  methods  of  life  chained 
them  the  name  of  Methodists  ;  applied  at  first  simply  to  those  who  performed  rigid 
outward  observance  of  devotional  duties,  it  gradually  acquired  and  embodied  the 
doctrines  peculiar  to  Wesley  as  they  were  unfolded.    Another  event  which  lends  a 


14 


HISTOBIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


lustre  to  that  small  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  Savannah  river  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Sunday-school  in  the  parish  of  Christ  Church,  by  Reverend  John 
Wesley,  nearly  fifty  years  before  Robert  Raikes  began  his  system  of  Sunday  in- 
struction in  Gloucester,  England,  and  eighty  years  before  the  first  school  in  America, 
modelled  after  Mr.  Raikes'  plan,  was  established  in  New  York.  Wesley  met  the 
childi'en  on  Sunday  afternoons  before  evening  service  in  the  church,  and  heard 
them  "recite  their  catechism,  questioning  them  as  to  what  they  had  heard  from  the 
pulpit,  instructed  them  still  further  in  the  Bible,  endeavoring  to  fix  the  truth  in  their 
understandings  as  well  as  their  memories." 

This  Sunday-school  begun  by  Wesley  was  .  perpetuated  by  Whitefield  at 
Bethesda,  and  it  has  continued  from  that  time  to  the  present,  —  a  period  of  over 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  —  constituting  the  oldest  Sunday-school  in  the  world. 
Nor  does  this  end  the  claims  of  Savannah  upon  John  Wesley.  Here  in  Savannah 
was  his  first  book  of  hymns  written,  and  printed  in  Charleston  in  1737.  But  one 
copy  is  known  to  be  in  existence,  and  that  was  discovered  in  England  in  1878. 
Brave  little  volume,  that  withstood  the  ravages  of  years  to  tell  the  stoiy  that 
Savannah  was  the  birthplace  of  John  Wesley's  first  hymnal,  and  to  give  honor  where 
it  was  due  !  Rare  as  any  Shakespeare,  this  first  hymnal  escaped  the  search  of 
both  English  and  American  collectors,  no  biographer  of  John  Wesley  so  much  as 
dreaming  of  its  existence.  Interesting  is  it  as  an  early-printed  American  book, 
apart  from  its  interest  as  a  hymnal  and  portrayal  of  Wesley's  mind  during  his 
memorable  visit  to  Georgia.  The  volume  is  a  small  octavo  of  seventy-four  pages, 
the  title-page  as  follows:  "A  collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  —  Charlestown, 
Printed  by  Timothy  Lewis,  1737."  Wesley  sailed  for  England  in  May,  1738,  the 
vessel  entering  the  Downs  as  George  Whitefield  was  borne  outward  to  Georgia, 
appointed  the  successor  to  Wesley.  Rather  remarkable  is  it  that  both  Wesley  and 
Whitefield  held  but  the  one  rectorship,  that  of  Christ  Church  parish  in  Savannah, 
the  one  the  immediate  successor  of  the  other.  Whitefield,  at  the  time  of  his 
appointment,  was  but  twenty-two,  yet  England  had  already  resounded  to  his 
eloquence. 

An  utter  contrast  they  presented,  John  Wesley  and  George  Whitefield,  in  ap- 
pearance, character,  education,  life,  method  ;  yet  they  were  drawn  to  each  other 
by  close  cords  of  friendship.  Wesley's  career  in  Savannah  was  marked  by  an 
asperity,  a  harshness,  arising  from  an  asceticism  of  life  and  an  intolerant  dis- 
position that  gave  ofl'ence  in  many  instances.     It  led  to  an  unfortunate  experi- 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURE  FfQUE 


SAVANNAH 


15 


ence  that  clouded  his  ministry,  and  resulted  in  his  departure  from  Savannah  in 
less  than  two  years  of  his  arrival,  never  to  return.  George  Whitefield's  connection 
with  Savannah,  on  the  contrary,  lasted  to  the  day  of  his  death  in  1770.  The 
project  of  the  Orphans'  Home,  which  was  suggested  to  him  by  James  Oglethorpe 
and  John  Wesley,  enlisted  the  full  energies  and  sympathies  of  his  active  and  power- 
ful nature.  Securing  first  of  all  from  the  trustees  a  grant  for  "  five  hundred  acres 
of  any  vacant  land  which  he  should  select,"  Whitefield  returned  to  Savannah  to 
meet  with  hearty  cooperation  in  the  work  from  James  Habersham,  tenderly  called 
his  "  beloved  fel- 
low-traveler," who 
had  accompanied 
him  to  Savannah 
in  1736.  A  site 
was  selected  about 
nine  miles  from  Sa- 
vannah, on  a  sandy 
bluff'  near  the  sea- 
shore ;  to  it  the 
first  road  in  Geor- 
gia was  cut  from 
Savannah.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of 
March,  1740,  the 
first  brick  of  the 

BETHESDA. 

Orphans'  House, 

after  the  famous  model  of  Professor  Franke,  in  Halle,  was  laid  by  Whitefield  with 
his  own  hand.  He  called  it  Bethesda,  praying  that  it  might  ever  prove  the  import 
of  its  name,  a  "  House  of  Mercy."  Of  more  than  local  interest  is  the  establishment 
of  Bethesda.  Georgia,  the  last  settled  of  the  original  colonies  of  Great  Britain  in 
America,-  was  the  first,  south  of  Virginia,  to  make  public  provision  for  education. 
To  John  and  Charles  Wesley  must  be  given  the  honor  of  inaugfurating  this  move- 
ment. They  established  free  schools  in  Savannah  and  Frederica,  the  germ  from 
which  blossomed  Whitefield's  Bethesda.  Travels  and  voyages  were  made  by 
Whitefield  in  behalf  of  his  beloved  Bethesda.  Large  sums  were  contributed  by 
England  and  America  to  further  his  design.    The  rich,  the  poor,  the  intellectual. 


16 


BISTORIG  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the  illiterate,  all  succumbed  to  his  marvellous  eloquence  ;  well  was  he  named  the 
prince  of  pulpit  orators  ! 

Profound  was  the  impression  in  Savannah  when  news  reached  the  town  of  his 
death  in  Newbui-yport,  Massachusetts,  on  the  thirtieth  of  July,  1770.  "You  can 
have  no  conception,"  writes  a  clergyman  of  that  day  to  a  clergyman  in  England,  "of 
the  effect  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  death  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Georgia. 
All  the  black  cloth  in  the  stores  was  bought  up.  The  pulpit  and  desks  of  the 
chui'ch,  the  benches,  the  organ-loft,  the  pews  of  the  Governor  and  Council,  were 
covered  with  black.  The  Governor  and  Council,  in  deep  mourning,  convened  at  the 
State  House,  and  Avent  in  procession  to  chui'ch,  and  were  received  by  the  organ 
playing  a  funeral  dirge.  The  Presbyterian  church  was  also  draped  in  mourning, 
and  its  pastor.  Reverend  Doctor  Zubly,  preached  an  appropriate  sei-nion  on  his 
death,  from  the  third  verse  of  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Daniel,  'They  that  be  wise 
shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteous- 
ness as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.'  To  quote  from  William  Bacon  Stevens,  D.D.  : 
"It  is  a  striking  group  of  facts,  that  John  Wesley,  the  leader  of  the  greatest  reli- 
gious movement  of  the  eighteenth  century  ;  that  Charles  Wesley,  the  purest  and  most 
popular  hymnist  of  the  age  ;  that  George  Whitefield,  whom  Christian  and  infidel  pro- 
nounced the  greatest  preacher  of  his  generation  ;  that  James  Oglethorpe,  one  of  the 
noblest  philanthropists  of  his  country ;  that  Christian  Gottlieb  Spangenberg,  the 
first  Moravian  bishop  in  America,  and  David  Nitschman,  the  founder  of  the  settle- 
ment of  Bethlehem,  in  Pennsylvania,  were  all  personally  and  intimately  connected 
with  Georgia,  and  contributed  to  shape  its  character  and  its  institutions." 

Turn  from  this  array  of  Christian  notables,  and  a  pagan  appears,  now  bowed  and 
wearied  with  the  weight  of  near  a  century  of  years,  but  once  erect  as  the  pine-trees  in  his 
native  forest,  swift  as  the  arrow  that  sped  from  his  hand,  his  history  for  almost  ninety 
years  lost  in  the  oblivion  of  his  forest  home,  ripe  with  wisdom  and  years,  he  enters  the 
scene  of  Savannah's  settlement,  —  Tomo-chi-chi  !  Well  may  he  stand  in  the  gallery 
of  her  honored  men!  His  presence  abides  with  that  of  Wesley,  of  Whitefield,  of 
Oglethorpe.  Savage  that  he  was,  nurtured  by  Mother  Nature  alone,  with  a  refine- 
ment of  touch  that  sometimes  fails  the  sons  of  civilization,  he  showed  a  native  gran- 
deur;  for  justice,  for  loyalty,  he  bore  the  test  of  his  pale-faced  brethren.  Owing  to 
his  intercession  the  Creek  Indians  were  first  persuaded  to  give  the  land  for  the 


1  Life  of  George  Whitefield, 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


17 


English  settlement.  He  aided  in  the  founding  of  the  town  ;  ever  the  friend  of  Ogle- 
thorpe, his  influence  preserved  harmony  between  the  English  and  the  Indians  in  the 
various  treaties.  Upon  Wesley's  arrival  in  the  Savannah  river,  Tomo-chi-chi,  with 
his  wife  and  a  number  of  Indians,  went  down  to  the  ship  to  pay  his  respects  to  the 
missionary,  and  to  express  his  desire  that  his  nation  should  hear  and  receive  the 
"Great  Word."  Later,  languishing  upon  his  blanket  in  the  final  illness,  he  was 
visited  by  George  Whitefield  desirous  of  meeting  the  noble  son  of  the  forest,  upon 
whom  the  light  of  Christianity  had  begun  to  dawn.  There,  upon  his  blanket,  in 
the  little  village  of  Yamacraw,  he  died,  on  the  fifth  of  October,  1739.  Sensible  to 
the  last,  Dame  Nature  was  kind  to  her  son,  and  granted  him  the  l)Oon  of  a  well-spent 
life,  a  peaceful  death.  His  wish  to  be  buried  among  the  English  was  respected. 
Down  the  river  by  canoes  to  Savannah,  the  shrouded  remains  of  Tomo-chi-chi  were 
carried.  Oglethorpe,  with  the  civil  authorities  and  the  citizens,  assembled  on  the 
bluflTto  escort  the  colony's  trusted  friend  to  his  last  resting-place,  chosen  in  Percival 
square  (now  Court-House  square).  It  is  the  first  funeral  procession  recorded  in  the 
annals  of  the  town.  Tomo-chi-chi  was  buried  with  military  honors.  Oglethorpe 
and  William  Stephens,  then  president  of  the  colony,  acted  as  pall-bearers.  Ogle- 
thorpe commanded  that  a  "  pyramid  of  stone,"  dug  in  the  neighborhood,  should  be 
erected  over  his  grave,  which  would  prove  a  great  ornament  to  the  centre  of  the 
town,  as  well  as  a  testimony  of  gratitude.  Nowhere  is  it  recorded  that  the  command 
was  obeyed.  Tradition  alone  designates  the  centre  of  Court-House  square  as  the 
place  of  burial.  In  the  "Morning  News"  of  the  sixth  of  February,  1878,  ap- 
peared this  notice  :  "  The  remains  of  Tomo-chi-chi  disinterred."  According  to  this 
account,  upon  the  removal  of  a  former  residence  on  York  street,  near  Bull  street, 
to  the  second  lot  on  the  west,  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  store  on  the  first  lot, 
workmen,  in  making  excavations  there  for  the  foundations  of  the  store,  came  upon 
the  "remains  of  a  human  skeleton  about  four  feet  below  the  surface,  together  with 
several  rusty  and  corroded  coffin-handles,  pieces  of  iron  shaped  like  the  blade  of  a 
hatchet,  and  a  piece  of  ivory.  All  the  bones  of  the  frame  were  found,  but  several 
were  broken.  No  remnants  of  a  coffin  or  box  were  found.  These  were  believed  to 
be  the  remains  of  the  famous  chief  Tomo-chi-chi."  The  article  continues  with  a  train 
of  circumstances  to  make  the  belief  probable  :  "For  this  lot,  with  the  adjoining  ones, 
was  at  that  period  embraced  in  Percival  square,  now  known  as  Court-House  square. 
The  building  which  has  been  removed  has  been  standing  for  over  seventy  years, 
according  to  the  recollection  of  one  of  Savannah's  oldest  citizens.    Probably  it  was 


18 


HISTOIilC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the  first  building  erected  there  after  the  extreme  portions  of  the  square  were  hiid  off 
into  lots.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  o-round  Avas  ever  disturbed  before. 
No  account  of  any  other  interment  makes  it  reasonable  to  suppose  the  remains  Tomo- 
chi-chi's."  Brave  old  warrior,  after  an  undisturbed  sleep  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
years  within  the  dark  confines  of  Mother  Earth,  to  be  ruthlessly  torn  from  her 
embrace  and  exposed  to  the  full  glare  of  sunlight  and  the  curious  gaze  of  eyes  five 
generations  behind  you  in  the  cycle  of  time  !  It  is  not  a  fate  to  be  desired.  Care- 
fully were  the  bones  returned  to  the  spot  where  they  were  found,  and  buried  deeper 
down  in  the  soil,  where  they  rest  to  this  day. 

To  the  shame  of  the  city  be  it  said,  that  nowhere  in  the  nomenclature  of  her 
squares,  wards,  or  streets  has  the  memory  of  Tomo-chi-chi  been  perpetuated  !  To 
Oglethorpe  or  Tomo-chi-chi,  the  one  an  example  of  chivalric  Christian  manhood,  the 


dians  that  traders  took  advantage  of  their  ignorance  of  weights  and  measures 
to  give  them  light  weight,  Oglethorpe's  reply  was  a  pair  of  scales.  Immortal 
symbol  of  Justice,  placed  in  the  Zodiac  by  the  Ancients,  in  token  of  its  heavenly 
origin  !  It  was  an  answer  at  once  practical  and  pointed.  That  simple  pair  of  scales 
furnished  the  means  of  protection  from  fraudulent  dealings,  the  gift  itself  a  delicate 


other  of  noble  Pagan  manhood,  no  monument 
rears  its  head  in  the  city  born  of  their  love  and 
devotion. 


TOMO-CHI-CHI. 


The  strong  personal  attachment  of  Tomo- 
chi-chi  to  Oglethorpe  exhibits  the  attitude  of 
all  the  Creeks  towards  him.  Some  one  has 
well  said  that,  had  no  other  fact  been  recorded 
of  Oglethorpe  than  his  influence  with  the  In- 
dians, that  alone  would  attest  his  greatness. 
Turmoils,  uprisings,  massacres,  darkening  the 
records  of  the  earliest  days  of  other  States, 
are  unheard  of  in  Georgia.  In  peace  and 
amity  dwelt  the  white  man  and  the  red  man. 
An  allusion  has  been  made  to  Oglethorpe's 
invariable  custom  of  courteous  and  conscien- 
tious treatment  of  the  Indians.  Humanity 
and  justice  were  his  watchwords.  Once,  re- 
ceiving complaints  from  the  neighboring  In- 


Blf^TOBIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


19 


recognition  of  the  Indians'  ability  to  use  the  scales.  The  trader  and  the  Indian 
were,  for  once,  upon  the  same  footing.  Due  courtesy  and  consideration  met  their 
reward.  Siniilly,  a  Creek  chief,  upon  entering  St.  Augustine,  was  artfully  tempted 
by  the  Spaniards  to  shake  off  his  allegiance  to  Oglethorpe.  Sums  of  money  were 
held  out  to  him  with  "  He  is  poor  ;  he  can  give  you  nothing ;  it  is  foolish  for  you  to 
go  to  him."  What  was  Similly's  reply?  "We  love  him.  It  is  true  he  does  not 
give  us  silver;  but  he  gives  us  everything  we  want  that  he  has.  He  has  given  me 
the  coat  off  his  back  and  the  blanket  from  under  him." 

In  Oglethorpe's  character  opposite  characteristics  appear  side  liy  side,  the 
keen,  hard  sense  of  the  practical  business  mind  united  with  an  ardent,  imaginative 
temperament ;  at  one  moment  conceiving  the  lofty,  philanthropic  designs  underlying 
the  colony  of  Georgia,  the  next  carrying  out  in  minute  detail,  with  an  almost  math- 
ematical precision,  the  daily  workings  of  the  colony.  He  pictured  a  garden  for 
the  cultivation  of  plants,  fruits,  and  trees,  almost,  if  not  quite,  unparalleled  in  the 
Old  World,  upon  the  borders  of  a  settlement  yet  in  its  swaddling-clothes.  Kaleido- 
scopic, truly,  was  Oglethorpe's  mind ;  yet  to  that  quality  is  due  much  of  his  charm 
and  power.  When  in  England  in  1737,  to  gain  recruits  for  a  regiment  destined  to 
bear  arms  against  the  Spaniards,  how  did  he  solve  the  problem  of  attaching  the  new 
recruits  with  close  ties  to  the  defence  of  the  new  soil  ?  Reader,  how  would  you 
have  solved  that  problem?  Listen  to  Oglethorpe's  solution.  Each  soldier  was  per- 
mitted to  carry  out  a  wife,  for  whom  rations  and  extra  pay  were  provided  as  for 
himself.  Verily,  that  was  an  original  regiment,  with  its  corps  of  well-paid  auxil- 
iaries, whose  services  were  never  demanded  in  the  field,  but  whose  influence  may 
have  decided  the  fate  of  many  an  encounter,  —  a  wise  expedient  in  the  history  of 
warfare.  Those  brave  wives  of  that  old  German  town,  who  carried  their  husbands 
on  their  backs  through  the  gates  of  the  city  to  safety  and  freedom,  must  retire 
before  these  sisters  of  a  later  generation,  who,  metaphorically  speaking,  bore  their 
husbands  through  powder  and  shot. 

•  Again  Oglethorpe's  fertile  brain  devised  a  cunning  scheme.  While  engaged  in 
war  with  the  Spaniards,  it  was  important,  one  night,  to  make  a  certain  distance  by 
water.  The  jaded  men  pulled  slowly  and  reluctantly,  till  Oglethorpe  bethought 
him  of  sending  ahead  the  periagua  containing  the  supply  of  beer.  It  is  enough  to 
say  the  distance  was  accomplished. 

The  period  of  the  Spanish  invasion  of  Georgia  was  a  time  of  anxiety  and  distress 
to  the  colony  in  Savannah.    Progress  gave  place  to  stagnation  ;  yet  public  spirit  was 


20 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


not  wholly  checked  by  military  operations,  for  there  is  mention  of  a  church  begun 
on  the  eleventh  of  June,  1740.  "  A  few  loads  of  stones  being  brought  and  laid  down 
in  a  place  where  it  is  intended  to  stand."  This  was  upon  the  original  church  lot 
marked  out  when  Oglethorpe  first  planned  the  town,  the  site  of  the  present  Christ 
Church.  Services  had  been  held  in  Oglethorpe's  tent,  in  the  open  air,  in  the  first 
tabernacle  or  Court  House,  now  occupied  by  the  rear  portion  of  the  Custom  House, 
and  later,  in  the  time  of  Wesley,  in  the  new  Court  House,  upon  the  present  Court- 
House  site.  This  effort  to  build  a  church  was  sadly  retarded  for  a  number  of  years. 
More  and  more  portentous  became  the  signs  of  war.  Georgia  was  the  wedge 
between  the  Carolinas,  and  the  French,  Spanish,  and  Indians  on  the  south  and 
west.  Spain  looked  with  jealous  eye  upon  the  extension  of  the  colony  southward 
to  Uarien  and  Frederica,  the  last  a  military  post.  Fearing  for  her  own  dominion, 
she  became  openly  aggressive. 

Oglethorpe's  regiment,  a  part  of  which  had  crossed  in  1738  (with  their  wives), 
now  came  gallantly  to  the  front.  "  This  regiment  was  composed  of  six  companies, 
each  consisting  of  one  hundred  men,  not  including  non-commissioned  officers  and 
drummers,  and  a  grenadier  company  was  afterwards  added  to  it.  The  officers  were 
gentlemen  of  family  and  character,  twenty  cadets  included  in  the  reorganization,  for 
the  filling  of  vacancies,  as  they  should  happen.  Besides,  the  Colonel  (Oglethorpe) 
engaged,  at  his  own  expense,  forty  supernumeraries."  A  list  of  the  officers  of  the 
select  body,  thus  far  not  found  in  any  published  account  of  the  colony  of  Georgia, 
copied  from  a  "  Book  of  Array  Commissioners  "  from  1728  to  1741,  in  the  Record 
Office  in  London,  is  as  follows  :  — 


the  rank  not  stated. 


James  Oglethorpe,  Colonel  of  a  regi-  George  Morgan, 

ment  of  foot.  George  Dunbar, 

James  Corchran,  Lieutenant- Colonel.  Will  Horton,  Ensign. 

Wm.  Cook,  Major.  James  Mackay,  " 

Hugh  Mackay,  Captain.  Wm.  Tolsom,  " 

Richard  Norbury,  "  John  Tanner,  " 

Alex.  Heron,         "  John  Leman,  " 

Albert  Desbrisay,   "  '  Sandford  Mace,  " 

Philip  Delegall,  Senior- Lieutenant.  Hugh  Mackay,  Adjutant. 

"         "       Junior         "  Edward  Dyson,  Clerk  and  Chaplain. 

Raymond  Demere,  Lieutenant.  Thomas  Hawkins,  Surgeon. 

Edward  Wansall,  Quartermaster. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


21 


Through  the  zeal  and  research  of  the  late  G.  W.  J.  De  Reune,  Savannah's 
liberal  patron  of  letters,  was  this  list  obtained  during  a  visit  to  Loudon. 

Military  operations  centred  about  Frederica.  Oglethorpe  proved  so  skilful  a 
strategist,  that  the  Spanish,  with  many  times  the  number  of  the  English,  were 
frightened  off;  in- 
deed,  his  final 
triumph  stands 
unparalleled  in 
the  annals  of  colo- 
nial history."  Ac- 
cording to  Colonel 
C.  C.  Jones,  Jr., 
in  his  sketch  of 
Frederica,  "That 
a  small  force  of 
between  six  hun- 
dred and  seven 
hundred  men,  as- 
sisted by  a  few 
weak  vessels, 

should  have  put  to  flight  an  army  of  nearly  five  thousand  Spanish  troops, 
supported  by  a  powerful  fleet,  and  amply  equipped  for  the  expedition,  seems 
almost  incapable  of  explanation."  Whitefield  said  of  the  victory  :  "The  deliverance 
of  Georgia  from  the  Spaniards  is  such  as  cannot  be  paralleled  but  by  some  instance 
out  of  the  Old  Testament."  The  Spanish  troops,  all  told,  amounted  to  five  thousand 
and  ninety  men,  and  Oglethorpe's  command  comprised  six  hundred  and  fifty-two 
persons,  of  which  four  hundred  and  seventy-two  belonged  to  his  regiment.  The 
fame  of  this  feat  spread  throughout  the  country.  Ogletliorpe  was  the  hero  of  the 
colonies  ;  he  was  regarded  as  the  savior  of  the  country  from  the  Spanish  dominion. 
A  day  of  public  thanksgiving  was  appointed  in  Georgia,  "to  Almighty  God,  for  His 
great  deliverance,  and  the  end  that  is  put  to  this  Spanish  invasion." 

In  1743  Oglethorpe  left  the  Georgia  colony  for  the  last  time.  During  the 
eleven  years  of  his  sojourn  and  governorship  the  tender  nursling  of  his  care  had 
grown  to  a  town  of  fair  size  ;  the  record  reads  that  there  were  three  hundred  and 
fifty-three  houses,  aside  from  public  buildings,  with  the  afterthought,  "  Among 


THE  TREE   UNDER   WHICH    WHITEFIELD  PREACHED. 


22 


HISTOlilC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


these  were  a  number  of  elegant  houses  surrounded  by  large  gardens."  To  the  eyes  of 
many  of  the  colonists,  accustomed  to  the  overcrowded  cities  of  the  Old  World,  with 
their  narrow  streets  and  huge  piles  of  stone  and  brick,  the  generous  plan  of  the 
town,  wide,  tree-bordered  streets,  with  a  narrow  one  passing  the  rear  of  the  lots, 
had  an  air  of  spaciousness  which  doubtless  imparted  somewhat  of  its  charm  to  the 
clapboard  houses,  innocent  of  architectural  beauty.  Naturally,  fancy  would  select 
one  of  those  "elegant  houses"  for  Oglethorpe's  home,  and  would  picture  him  m  the 
cool  of  the  evening  enjoying  the  delights  of  a  lai'ge  garden  ;  yet  this  is  far  from  the 
case.  For  over  a  year  the  tent  under  the  four  pine-trees  was  his  only  home  ;  it  be- 
came the  head-quarters  of  the  colony,  for  Oglethoriie  was  paramount  in  those  early 
days.  Judicial,  social,  religious  affairs,  were  brought  to  that  small  tent  for  settle- 
ment, the  decisions  ever  pervaded  by  the  solenm  undertones  of  the  pines.  A  fit 
temple  and  court-room,  swept  daily,  hourl}-,  by  the  fresh  winds  of  heaven,  laden 
with  resinous  perfume.  Oglethorpe's  fondness  for  garden  ventures  is  mentioned 
more  than  once  ;  somewhere  it  is  said  that  he  had  '"three  gardens  sowed  with  divers 
seeds,  where  also  he  planted  thyme,  pot-herbs,  and  several  sorts  of  fruit-trees." 
The  wonder  arises,  did  these  vegetable  gardens  flourish,  or  were  they  destined  to  a 
like  fate  with  the  trustees'  gardens  ?  Never  did  Oglethorpe  own  any  land  or  house 
in  Savannah.  He  had  lodgings  in  one  of  the  original  forty  houses,  to  which  he 
always  returned  when  in  Savannah.  In  a  letter  written  by  AVilliam  Stephens  to 
Harman  Verelst,  of  London,  dated  May  second,  1747,  an  interesting  glimpse  is 
given  of  General  Oglethori)t'"s  (]uarters  :  — 

General  Oglethorpe,  whenever  he  pleased  formerly  to  visit  Savannah,  was  content  to  make 
use  of  a  small  house,  Xo.  1  Jekyll  Tything,  in  Derby  Ward,  belonging  to  the  widow  Ovisend,  who, 
we  are  informed,  has  been  dead  some  years,  and  no  claimant  appearing,  nor  the  house  occujjied 
since  His  Excellency  was  there  in  the  year  174:3,  it  may  Ije  reasonably  expected,  on  its  standing 
empty  so  long,  that  'tis  grown  much  out  of  rejjair.  The  iloor  and  cills,  and  greater  pai-t  of  the 
principal  Timbers  are  utterly  decayed  and  rotten,  and  must  have  fallen  long  since,  had  I  not  ordered 
it  to  be  propt  up  with  shores,  and  'tis  not  many  days  since  the  chimney  fell,  so  that  'tis  now  esteemed 
to  be  nothing  better  than  a  ruinous  heap.  There  was,  formerly,  a  neat  Field  Bed  in  it  with  yellow 
damask  silk  curtains,  which  must  have  shared  the  same  fate  with  the  rest,  had  it  been  left  standing. 
Wherefore  I  ordered  it  to  be  taken  thence,  and  delivered  to  the  care  of  a  young  woman  that  lives 
next  door,  Avhose  maiden  name  was  Milledge  (a  family  that  the  General  has  been  exceedingly  kind 
to),  and  she  married  a  few  years  since  to  Richard  Riglye,  a  writing  Clerk  in  the  service  of  the  Trust. 
1  never  could  hear  of  any  other  furniture  left  in  your  House  besides  that  bed,  nor  saw  I  any  more 
than  an  old  broken  table,  and  two  rush-bottom  chairs  of  no  value.  After  so  much  preface,  what  I 
wouhl  licg  of  you  is,  tliat  you'll  please  to  acquaint  the  General  herewith,  and  if  he  will  please  to 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SA  VANNAII 


23 


signify  his  pleasure  therein,  I  shall  be  ready  to  pay  all  due  regard  to  it ;  but  as  I  can  hardly  think 
he  will  give  himself  any  trouble  about  it,  'tis  possible,  nevertheless,  he  may  bestow  the  lot  upon 
some  person  or  other  whom  he  has  a  favorable  thought  of. 

That  is  all,  but  it  throws  a  little  light  upon  Oglethorpe's  surroundings.  After 
the  year  of  tent-life  it  is  pleasant  to  think  of  the  luxury  of  "  yellow  damask  silk 
curtains  "  about  that  "  Field  Bed,"  yet  how  oddly  incongruous  in  that  rough-boarded 
house  ;  possibly  they  were  a  whim  of  Oglethorpe's,  a  bit  of  finery  that  gratified  his 
aesthetic  taste.  Truly,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  him  possessed  of  so  errant  a  fancy,  as 
'tis  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  that  projected  the  public  gardens.  Oglethorpe  did 
own  a  home  in  the  New  World,  on  St.  Simon's  Island,  about  a  mile  from  Fred- 
erica.  On  the  road  to  the  fort,  where  the  highway  entered  the  wood,  Oglethorpe 
chose  his  home,  and  very  humble  it  was.  A  cottage  with  a  garden  and  orchard 
for  oranges,  figs,  and  grapes,  in  all,  fifty  acres,  constituted  his  New  Worldi  The 
rear  of  the  house  was  overshadowed  by  evergreen  oaks,  the  front  looked  out  upon 
intrenched  town  and  fort,  with  a  glimpse  of  the  sound.  A  road  diverged  due 
east  from  the  General's  cottage,  passing  in  about  half  a  mile  to  the  country  seat 
of  Captain  Raymond  Demere,  one  of  the  oldest  officers  of  the  regiment.  Captain 
Demere  was  a  Huguenot  by  birth,  with  an  ample  fortune.  Much  of  it  was  spent 
in  ornamenting  his  St.  Simon's  home,  following  the  current  French  taste  rather 
than  the  English.  Harrington  Hall  was  the  name  of  his  estate.  The  enclosures 
were  entirely  of  orange  or  cassiva,  a  species  of  ilex,  but  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
family,  with  small  fleshy  leaves,  intensely  green.  Numbers  of  this  shrub  are  to 
be  seen  to-day  in  Forsyth  Park,  though  it  is  not  common  in  the  city.  After 
Oglethorpe's  final  departure  his  homestead  became  the  property  of  James  Spald- 
ing. It  was  sold  after  the  Revolution,  the  cottage  having  been  destroyed,  but  the 
oaks  remained  landmarks  into  the  thirties  of  the  present  century.  The  older  people 
of  St.  Simon's  mourned  their  destruction  as  a  sort  of  sacrilege. 

Many  ofiicers  had  residences  in  the  neighborhood  much  more  pretentious  than 
Oglethorpe's.  Here  could  Oglethorpe  retire  from  the  vexatious  worries  of  town 
life,  and  enjoy  the  (juiet,  or,  inspired  by  the  sight  of  fort  and  fortification,  indulge 
in  military  day-dreams,  his  own  early  adventures  on  the  continent  of  Europe  fur- 
nishino-  siiflicient  themes  for  reverie.  Let  us  follow  him  to  the  shores  of  Old  Eng:- 
land,  and  there  leave  him,  near  the  close  of  the  century.  That  grand  old  hero,  with 
his  youthful  enthusiasm  unquenched  in  the  midst  of  that  golden  circle  where  John- 
son, Goldsmith,  Wharton,  Burke,  Burton,  Mrs.  Garrick,  and  Mrs.  More  loved  to 


24 


EISTOBIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


gather  in  the  intei'change  of  wit  and  thought.  Well  could  Oglethorpe  form  a 
central  figure  in  this  charming  coterie.  Hannah  More  again  touches  him  delicately 
in  a  letter :  "  I  have  got  a  new  admirer,  and  we  liirt  together  prodigiously,  foster 
brother  of  the  Pretender,  and  much  al)ove  ninety  years  old ;  the  tinest  figure  you 
ever  saw.  He  frequently  realizes  all  my  ideas  of  Nestor.  His  literature  is  great, 
his  knowledge  of  the  world  extensive,  and  his  faculties  as  bright  as  ever.  He  is  one 
of  the  three  persons  mentioned  by  Pope  still  living;  he  is  ({uite  a preiix  chevaliei', 
heroic,  romantic,  and  full  of  the  old  gallantry.  It  is  the  famous  General  Oglethorpe, 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable  man  of  his  time." 

An  inexhaustible  store  of  novel  experience,  drawn  from  his  Georgian  adventures, 
the  General  must  at  times  have  poured  upon  that  brilliant,  responsive  circle.  By 
Burke  he  was  regarded  as  more  extraoi-dinary  than  any  person  of  whom  he  had  read, 
for  Oglethorpe  lived  to  see  the  infant  colony  grow  to  a  powerful  commonwealth, 
and  throw  off  its  allegiance  to  the  mother  country,  to  become  an  independent 
state.  Among  the  first  to  greet  John  Adams,  the  first  ambassador  from  the  United 
States  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  was  General  Oglethorpe.  Here  let  us  leave  him. 
Shall  we  meet  his  like  again  ?  It  is  hardly  possible  ;  such  a  one  comes  not  often  on 
the  world's  stage. 


'■'P.-ffRICK  HOl/STOW 

ajirorn  Prtfldert  of  his 
fjs^Mypfxys  CfUJieil  of  {jrorgiet 


CHAPTER 


II. 


N  1744  the  first  commercial  house  in  Georgia  was  established  by  Messrs.  James 


-L  Habersham  and  Charles  Harris.  Prior  to  this,  business  had  been  transacted  by 
the  trustees'  store-keeper.  The  place  of  business  was  close  to  the  water's  edge,  in 
the  rear  of  the  present  office  of  R.  G.  Dunn  and  Company,  and  the  firm  began  a 
system  of  direct  importation  with  London.  By  1749  they  were  prepared  to  ship 
a  cargo  to  England. 

In  May  of  that  year,  the  correspondent,  John  Nickleson,  Mansfield  street, 
Goodman's  Fields,  London,  was  ordered  to  charter  a  "  small  ship  to  be  loaded  here 
next  winter,  with  what  may  offer."  That  was  the  first  ship  chartered  to  a  mercantile 
house  in  Georgia.  During  the  winter  the  ship  sailed  for  England  with  a  cargo  of 
rice,  deerskins,  tar,  staves,  and  pitch,  unconsciously  forecasting,  in  the  latter  articles, 
Savannah's  supremacy  in  lines  of  trade  in  which  she  now  leads  the  world. 

It  was  owing  to  the  enterprise  and  advanced  views  of  Messrs.  Habersham  and 
Harris  that  a  material  increase  was  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  colonists,  as  well  as 
to  the  comforts  and  luxuries  enjoyed  by  them.  Within  a  few  years  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  commercial  relations  with  England  James  Habersham  wrote  :  "  Two  days 
ago  a  large  ship  arrived  here  addressed  to  my  partner  and  myself,  which  is  the  fifth 
sea-vessel  which  has  been  here  to  load  within  a  year;  more,  I  may  affirm,  than  has 
ever  been  loaded  in  this  colony  before,  since  its  first  settlement,  with  its  real 
produce." 

In  the  early  days  of  the  colony,  Oglethorpe  was  virtually  the  head  of  the 
government,  without,  however,  the  official  title,  the  bailiff's,  the  tithing-men,  and 
recorders  all  subject  to  his  direction.  This  scheme  of  government  brought  many 
abuses  into  play,  for  Oglethorpe's  constant  absence  from  Savannah,  the  seat  of 
power,  left  the  bailiff's  uncontrolled. 

In  1741  the  trustees  made  a  change  of  government,  dividing  the  province  of 
Georgia  into  two  counties ;  over  each  they  appointed  a  president  with  four  assist- 


(25) 


26 


EI8T0RIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


ants,  constituting  the  Civil  and  Judicial  Tribunal.  Oglethorpe  still  remained  Gen- 
eral and  Commander-in-Chief,  with  civil  and  military  control  over  both  counties. 
Another  change,  in  1743,  consolidated  the  government  into  one  body  politic,  with 
William  Stephens  president.  Good,  worthy  man  that  he  was,  his  age  made  the 
appointment  an  injudicious  one.  The  assistants  were  crippled  by  his  infirmities.  At 
last,  recognizing  his  inability  to  hold  the  post,  he  resigned,  and  retired  to  his  estate 
at  Beaulieu,  where,  in  1753,  he  peacefully  died.  This  plantation,  consisting  of  five 
hundred  acres,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Vernon  river,  was  granted  and  confirmed  to  him 
by  Oglethorpe  in  1738.  Mr.  Stephens  writes  on  the  twenty-first  of  March,  1739  : 
"I  was  now  called  upon  to  give  the  place  a  name,  and  thereupon,  naturally  revolving 
in  my  thoughts  divers  places  in  my  native  country,  to  try  if  I  could  find  any  that 
had  a  resemblance  to  this,  I  fancied  that  Bewlie,  a  manor  of  His  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Montague,  in  the  New  Forest,  was  not  unlike  it  much  as  to  its  situation,  and,  being 
on  the  skirts  of  that  forest,  had  plenty  of  large  timber  growing  everywhere  near ; 
moreover,  a  fine  arm  of  the  sea  running  close  by,  which  parts  the  Isle  of  Wight 
from  the  main  land,  and  makes  a  beautiful  prospect,  from  all  which  tradition  tells 
us  it  took  its  name,  and  was  antiently  called  Beaulieu,  though  now  vulgarly 
'Bewlie.'"  This  attractive  i)lufi'  bears  other  than  the  associations  with  the  manor  in 
the  New  Forest;  it  was  rendered  memorable  by  the  debarkation  of  Count  d'Estaing's 
troops  on  the  twelfth  of  September,  1779,  and  l)y  the  erection  of  formidable 
batteries  during  the  war  between  the  States,  for  the  protection  of  this  approach  to 
Savannah. 

At  present  Beaulieu  constitutes  one  of  the  desirable  suburbs  of  the  city,  where 
a  number  of  citizens,  in  summer  residences,  seek  the  repose  and  pleasures  of  country 
hfe. 

The  infatuation  of  the  trustees  to  make  of  Georgia  a  silk,  oil,  and  wine  grow- 
ing colony  continued,  notwithstanding  disheartening  results.  The  colonists,  wearied 
of  futile  attempts,  neglected  the  gardens  where  the  vines  and  the  nmlberry-trees 
were  |)lanted  ;  some  of  them  even  petitioned  the  trustees  to  abandon  the  idea  of 
producing  silk  and  wine  exclusively,  and  to  turn  the  funds  towards  agriculture  and 
commerce.  But  no,  the  one-ideafed  trustees  were  not  to  be  deterred  from  the  pur- 
suance of  their  cherished  plan.  They  offered  large  bounties,  in  1750,  to  those  who 
would  engage  in  the  growth  of  silk.  A  filature  for  the  purpose  was  built  the  next 
year  to  serve  as  a  normal  school  to  the  town.  It  was  constructed  of  rough  boards 
made  thirty-six  feet  long  by  twenty  wide ;  in  a  loft  above  the  one  floor  the  green 


EISTORW  AND   I'laTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


27 


cocoons  were  spread.  This  building  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Reynolds  square 
where  now  stands  the  block  of  houses  known  as  Cassell's  row.  The  eff'orts  of  the 
trustees  to  promote  the  silk  culture  were  not  contined  to  the  normal  school  in 
the  filature.  After  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  1751,  according  to  extracts  from  the 
minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  "  no  inhabitant  could  be  elected  a  deputy  who  had 
not  one  hundred  mulberry  trees  planted  and  properly  fenced,  upon  every  tract  of 
fifty  acres  which  he  possessed." 

Also  from  and  after  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  1753,  no  one  was  capable  of 
being  a  delegate  who  had  not  strictly  conformed  to  the  prescribed  limitation  of  the 
number  of  negro  slaves  in  proportion  to  his  white  servants,  who  had  not  in  his 
family  at  least  one  female  instructed  in  the  art  of  reeling  silk,  and  who  did  not 
annually  produce  fifteen  pounds  of  silk  for  every  fifty  acres  of  land  owned  by  him. 
Thus  curiously  was  silk  culture  interwoven  with  the  fabric  of  government.  The 
church  which  was  begun  in  1740,  during  the  time  of  the  threatened  Spanish  invasion, 
remained  at  a  stand-still  for  a  number  of  years,  owing  to  the  unsettled  times  and  the 
impoverished  state  of  the  town.  In  1746  President  Stephens  wrote  :  "The  roof  of 
the  church  is  covered  with  shingles,  but  as  to  the  sides  and  ends  of  it,  it  remains  a 
skeleton."  The  summer  of  1750  saw  it  completed  and  dedicated  to  the  worship 
of  Almighty  God  upon  the  seventh  of  July,  the  anniversary  of  the  establishment  of 
the  first  court  of  judicature  seventeen  years  before,  and  of  Oglethorpe's  defeat  of 
the  Spaniards  on  St.  Simon's  Island.  No  cut  or  description  of  this  first  church  has 
been  found,  unfortunately  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  its  construction  was  of  the  plainest 
order  of  architecture,  else  some  allusion  would  have  been  made  to  it  by  the  gratified 
townspeople  upon  the  completion  of  the  ten  years'  work.  Out  of  the  six  hundred 
and  three  inhabitants  of  Savannah  in  1748,  three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  were 
dissenters. 

Probably  the  greater  part  were  of  the  Lutheran  religion.  Many  members  of 
the  various  colonies  of  Salzburgers,  that  fled  to  Georgia  between  the  years  1736 
and  1744,  remained  in  Savannah,  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  church  organization 
about  1744.  Little  is  known  definitely  concerning  this  organization.  In  a  few 
years'  time  a  small  wooden  church  was  erected  on  the  eastern  side  of  Court-House 
square,  the  site  of  the  present  Lutheran  church.  The  Lutheran,  therefore,  with 
Christ  Church,  shares  the  honor  of  steadfastness  to  the  original  site.  The  forma- 
tion  of  "St.  George,"  afterward  know-n  as  the  "Union  Society,"  some  time  in  the 
year  1750,  was  an  important  event  for  Savannah,  little  realized  at  the  time.  A 


28 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


powerful  influence  for  good  has  it  wielded  in  the  community  during  the  one  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  years  of  its  existence.  Familiar  is  its  small  beginning.  At  first  a 
club  of  Scotch  emigrants,  its  original  members  were  five  gentlemen,  representing 
five  distinct  religious  creeds,  banded  together  for  the  purpose  of  educating  orphan 
children  in  indigent  circumstances.  The  exact  time  is  not  known  when  it  was 
merged  into  a  society  with  the  name  of  "  St.  George,"  the  members  holding  their 
anniversary  upon  the  twenty-third  of  April,  the  calendar  day  of  the  canonization 
of  the  tutelar  saint  of  England.  Tradition  has  preserved  but  three  names  of  the 
original  five  :  Benjamin  Sheftall,  an  Israelite ;  Richard  Milledge,  an  Episcopalian ; 
and  Peter  Tondee,  a  Catholic.  It  is  a  fact  unique  in  the  history  of  Savannah,  the 
formation  of  benevolent  institutions  and  societies  in  so  early  a  stage  of  her  existence. 
Bethesda,  the  Union  Society,  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  all  were  outcomes  of  that 
spirit  of  broad  charity  animating  the  trustees.  Savannah,  herself  at  first  a  settle- 
ment to  shelter  the  needy  of  Europe,  with  increase  of  growth  and  riches, 
proportionately  broadened  her  charities,  till,  at  the  present  day,  she  stands  without 
a  rival  among  sister  cities  for  the  numlier  of  benevolent  institutions,  in  proportion 
to  her  size  and  population. 

The  first  General  Assembly  met  in  Savannah  on  the  fifteenth  of  January,  1751, 
sixteen  representatives  being  present.  Francis  Harris  was  chosen  speaker.  Upon 
the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly,  the  Council,  in  accordance  with  its  promise,  began 
to  organize  the  militia.  An  order  was  issued  "  for  all  who  possessed  thi*ee  hun- 
dred acres  and  upwards  of  land  to  appear  well-accoutred  on  horseback  as  cavalry, 
and  those  who  owned  less  property  armed  on  foot."  The  militia  comprised  four 
companies,  one  troop  of  horse  and  three  of  infantry,  in  all  nearly  three  hun- 
dred men.  The  first  organized  parade  took  place  on  the  thirteenth  of  June, 
1751,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Noble  Jones.  There  were  about  two  hundred 
and  twenty  horse  and  foot,  well  armed  and  well  equipped,  the  record  quaintly 
reading,  "they  behaved  well,  and  made  a  pretty  a^jpearance." 

To  Noble  Jones,  the  captain  of  the  body  of  militia,  belonged  the  estate  of 
Wormsloe,  in  itself  worthy  of  a  description,  but  more  particularly  from  the  fact 
that,  of  all  of  the  l^eautiful  plantations  at  one  time  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Savannah,  it  alone  has  remained  in  the  family  to  whom  it  was  first  granted.  It  is 
situated  on  the  Isle  of  Hope,  about  ten  miles  from  Savannah. 

From  a  description  written  in  1743,  the  following  is  quoted:  "Wormsloe  is 
one  of  the  most  agreeable  spots  I  ever  saw,  and  the  improvements  of  that  ingenious 


HlSTOllia  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


29 


man  are  very  extraordinary.  He  commands  a  company  of  Marines,  who  are 
quartered  in  Huts  near  his  House,  which  is  also  a  tolerable  defensive  Place  with 
small  Ai-ms.  From  the  House  there  is  a  Vista  of  a  new  three  miles  cut  through  the 
woods  to  Mr.  Whitefield's  Orphan  House,  which  has  a  very  fine  effect  on  the  Sight." 

Noble  Jones,  a  lieutenant  in  General  Oglethorpe's  expedition  against  the 
Spaniards  in  St.  Augustine,  subsequently  was  assigned  the  command  of  a  scout 
and  guard  boat,  and  a  company  of  marines  to  watch  the  "  Narrows  at  Skedoway 
and  the  inlets  of  the  near  adjoining  sea,  more  especially  those  near  him  of  War- 
saw and  Ussuybaw,  lest  any  surprise  should  happen." 

The  remains  of  the  "  tabl)y  "  fortification  constructed  by  Captain  Jones  are  still 
to  be  seen  at  Wormsloe,  the  outline  of  the  work  and  the  general  features  well 
preserved,  constituting  possibly  the  most  interesting  historical  ruins  on  the  coast 
of  Georgia.  The  plantation  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  De  Renne  family,  lineal 
descendants  of  Noble  Jones. 

In  the  year  1752  the  charter  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  expired.  The  trustees 
held  their  last  meeting  on  June  twenty-third,  the  charter  was  surrendered,  the 
seal  defaced,  and  a  recommendation  made  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Georgia  to  His  Majesty's  protection.  The  affairs  of  Georgia  were  now 
transferred  to  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  Plantation  Affairs,  acting  under  His 
Majesty  George  H.  On  the  nomination  of  the  Lords  Commissioners,  Captain  John 
Reynolds,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  was,  on  the  sixth  of  August,  17,54,  appointed  by  the 
king.  Governor  of  Georgia. 

The  new  seal  was  in  silver,  bearing  on  one  side  a  figure  representing  the  genius 
of  the  colony  offering  skeins  of  silk  to  the  king,  with  the  motto,  "  Hinc  laudem 
sperate  (Joloni"  and  around  the  circumference,  "  Bigillxim  Provincice  nostrce 
Georgice  in  America;  "  on  the  obverse.  His  Majesty's  arms,  crown,  garter,  support- 
ers, and  motto,  with  the  inscription,  "Georgius  II.  Dei  Gratia  Magnce  Britannioe 
Fr.  et  Ilib.  Bex.  Fidei  Defensor  Brunsvici  et  Lunehurgi  Dux.  Sacri  Romani 
Imperii  Archi  Thesaurarius  et  Princeps  Elector."  Again  was  the  industry  of  silk 
culture  incorporated  with  the  official  seal.  The  new  era  of  royal  governors  inaugu- 
rated by  Reynolds,  and  continued  by  his  two  successors,  Henry  Ellis  and  Sir  James 
Wright,  carried  Savannah  to  the  portals  of  the  Revolution.  Her  first  royal  governor 
found  a  struggling  colony,  its  growth  retarded  by  intestine  strife ;  her  last  royal 
governor  left  a  town  ravaged  by  the  relentless  havoc  of  war,  but  animated  with  a 
new  spirit  of  independence  that  lent  dignity  to  the  war-seared  little  town. 


30 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


John  Reynolds  had  not  an  enviable  position  to  fill  ;  with  no  precedent  to  guide 
him,  no  familiarity  with  colonial  aflfairs,  fresh  from  the  deck  of  a  man-of-war,  his 
sea-legs  tripping  him  at  every  step,  the  proverbial  bull  in  a  china-shop  had  as  fair 
a  chance  of  winning  honors  as  this  captain  of  the  royal  navy,  transported  to  the 
midst  of  a  wrangling  colony,  —  such  was  the  new  governor,  received  with  huzzas 
and  acclamations  of  joy  from  the  delighted  colonists  upon  his  unexpected  arrival 
in  their  midst.  "Long  live  the  new  king,  royal  governor;  now  prosperity  and 
progress  will  reign  in  our  midst !  "  So  thought  the  joyous  people,  soon  to  be 
undeceived,  whilst  bonfires  and  illuminations  testified  to  their  delight.  The  day 
following  the  arrival,  with  all  due  ceremony  the  Governor  was  conducted  to  the 
President's  chair  in  the  Council  chamber ;  his  commission  as  Captain- General  and 
Vice-Admiral  of  the  Province  was  read  to  the  militia  assembled  l)efore  the  Council 
chamber  ;  u  round  of  musketry  in  salute  from  the  militia  concluded  the  reading.  The 
Governor  then  announced  the  dissolution  of  the  Council,  and  the  formation  of  a  new 
Royal  Council  under  the  letters-patent  from  the  Crown.  The  Council  chamber  was 
on  the  lot  where  now  stands  the  residence  of  Colonel  John  Screven,  fronting  on  Rey- 
nolds square.  It  formed  the  principal  theme  iu  the  Governor's  first  letter  to  the  "  Board 
of  Trade"  in  London.  "  Savannah  is  well  situated  and  contains  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  houses,  all  wooden  ones,  very  small  and  mostly  old.  The  biggest  was 
used  for  the  meeting  of  the  President  and  assistants,  and  where  I  sat  in  Council  for 
a  few  days,  one  end  fell  down  whilst  we  were  all  there,  and  obliged  us  to  move  to  a 
kind  of  shed  behind  the  Court  House,  which  l)eing  quite  unfit,  I  have  given  orders, 
with  the  advice  of  the  Council,  to  fit  up  the  shell  of  a  house,  which  was  lately  built 
for  laying  up  the  silk,  but  was  never  made  use  of,  being  verj^  ill-calculated  for 
that  purpose  ;  but  it  will  make  a  tolerably  good  house  for  the  Assembly  to  meet  in, 
and  for  a  few  ofiices  besides.  The  prison  being  only  a  small  wooden  house  without 
security,  I  have  also  ordered  to  be  mended,  and  some  locks  and  l)olts  to  be  put  on 
for  the  present."  Fancy  the  adjournment  of  the  Council  to  that  rude  shed,  doubt- 
less in  full  magisterial  ponq) ;  for  in  the  earlier  days  it  is  recorded  that  the  trus- 
tees sent  over  magisterial  gowns,  three  for  the  bailiff's,  of  purple  edged  with  fur, 
for  the  recorders  of  black,  tufted.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  Governor's  suggestion  to 
fit  up  the  filature  was  carried  out.  In  1757  one  thousand  and  fifty  pounds  of  raw 
silk  were  received  at  the  filature  in  Savannah.  The  next  year  the  filature  was 
burned  Avith  all  its  contents,  consisting  of  a  large  quantity  of  silk,  and  seven  thou- 
sand and  forty  pounds  of  cocoons.    Phoenix-like,  it  rose  from  its  ashes  to  carry  on 


HISTORIC  AND    PKJTURESQUK  SAVANNAH 


31 


that  branch  of  the  government,  the  silk  culture.  The  end  of  Reynolds'  administra- 
tion found  the  state  of  Savannah  as  deplorable  as  at  the  beginning.  The  prison  was 
"shocking  to  humanity."  Christ  Church  had  so  decayed  it  had  to  be  propped  up 
to  prevent  it  from  falling  down  ;  some  moral  courage  was  required  to  enter  that 
temple.  Reynolds,  on  the  sea  a  commander  of  men,  became  on  land  a  slave  to  his 
secretary,  William  Little.  This  arch-tyrant  sowed  the  seeds  of  discord  that  led  to 
Reynolds'  recall.  Again  in  England,  Reynolds  found  his  rightful  element,  and  died 
a  worthy  admiral  of  the  blue.  His  successor,  Henry  Ellis,  afforded  a  striking  con- 
trast. He  was  a  student  and  author ;  his  scientific  pursuits  won  him  the  reward 
of  a  membershi})  in  the  Royal  Society  of  London,  that  august  body  of  scientific  and 
literary  worthies.  Gentleness  and  urbanity  marked  his  administration  ;  but  the  tide 
of  progress  within  the  town  was  low. 

Like  his  predecessor,  he  favoied  the  change  of  the  seat  of  government  from 
Savannah  to  Hardwicke.  Indeed,  public  spirit  bec;une  so  stagnant  in  Savannah  that 
the  public  buildings  were  neglected,  the  filature  was  in  a  "tumble-down  condition," 
and  business  quite  unsatisfactory  in  Oglethorpe's  once  thriving  little  settlement. 
One  act  of  building  improvement  relieved  the  gloom  of  general  stagnation  ;  in  1759 
the  first  wharf  was  built  in  Savannah  by  Thomas  Eaton,  under  the  direction  of  John 
(i.  William  de  Brahm,  the  Surveyor-General  of  the  Southern  Provinces  of  North 
America.  It  was  located,  according  to  tradition,  on  the  river,  midway  between  Bull 
and  Whitaker  streets.  Before  this,  the  primitive  method  was  resorted  to  of  throwing 
smaller  articles  from  the  ship  to  the  land,  the  vessels  approaching  the  shore  as  near 
as  the  depth  of  the  river  would  allow,  the  heavier  cargo  being  landed  by  means  of 
small  boats.  In  a  year's  time  forty-one  vessels  entered  and  unloaded  at  the  wharf,  — 
more  than  had  before  entered  during  the  twenty-six  years  of  colonial  life  ;  by  1766, 
the  number  had  increased  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-one,  —  a  great  stride  in  com- 
mercial activity.  One  of  the  acts  of  the  Legislature,  passed  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Governor  Ellis,  was  the  division  of  the  province  into  parishes,  "providing 
foi'  the  establishment  of  religious  worship  according  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Church  of  England.  The  town  and  district  of  Savannah,  extending  up  the 
Savannah  river,  and  including  the  islands  therein,  as  far  as  the  south-east  boundary 
of  Goshen,  from  thence  in  a  south-west  line  to  the  river  Great  Ogeechee,  and  from 
the  town  of  Savannah,  eastward  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  river  Savannah,  including 
the  sea-islands,  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Great  Ogeechee,  and  all  the  settlements 
on  the  north  side  of  the  said  river  to  the  western  boundaries  thereof,  "  constituted 


32 


EISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the  parish  of  Christ  Church.  By  this  act,  the  church  then  erected  in  Savannah, 
with  the  ground  Ijelonging  thereto,  as  a  burial-place,  was  designated  as  the  Parish 
Church  and  cemetery  of  Christ  Church.  To  ever}^  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England  a  salary  of  fifty  pounds  was  given.  No  political  significance  was  attached 
to  this  act ;  the  members  of  the  Church  of  England  had  no  privileges.  The  laws 
governing  the  vast  mother  empire  of  Great  Britain  were  merely  given  sway  over 
the  small  daughter  colony  of  Georgia.  It  meant  simply  to  maintain  the  gospel 
according  to  the  accepted  creed,  rites,  and  ceremonies  of  a  portion  of  the  colonists. 
The  Moravians,  Lutherans,  and  Presbyterians  all  had  their  places  of  worship.  In 
1755  it  is  supposed  that  the  petition  of  forty-eight  freeholders  and  inhabitants  was 
presented  to  the  Governor  and  Council  for  a  lot  upon  which  to  build  a  church  to 
be  denominated  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  the  land  granted  and  the 
church  built  under  the  said  grant  being  "  for  the  use  of  such  persons  as  were  then 
residing  or  might  thereafter  reside  in  the  district  of  Savannah,  as  were  professors  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  agreeable  to  the  Westminster  Confession  of 
Faith."  The  grant  was  obtained  in  January,  1756.  This  was  the  origin  of  the 
present  large  and  prosperous  congregation  known  as  the  "  Independent  Pres- 
byterian "  Church.  From  its  foundation,  independent  it  was  declared,  and  indepen- 
dent has  it  remained  through  the  one  hundred  and  twenty- nine  years  of  its  existence. 
The  lot  in  question,  with  sixty  feet  in  front  by  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  depth, 
between  Bryan  and  St.  Julian  streets,  facing  west  on  Market  square,  and  extending 
east  to  Whitaker  street,  was  the  one  granted,  with  this  proviso,  that  a  meeting- 
house should  be  erected  within  three  years  from  the  date  of  the  grant  of  the  lot,  or 
the  lot  would  be  forfeited.  Within  the  time  specified  a  brick  church  was  completed, 
and  a  call  extended  to  Reverend  John  Zubly,  who  accepted,  and  remained  pastor 
until  1778.  The  burning  of  the  filature,  the  first  large  fire  mentioned,  doubtless 
aroused  the  people  to  the  dangers  of  their  wooden  town  ;  for  in  1759  an  act  was 
passed  by  the  General  Assembly  prohibiting  the  building  or  repairing  of  wooden 
chimneys,  under  penalty  of  a  fine  of  five  pounds  sterling,  the  money  to  be  paid  to 
the  church-wardens  for  the  parish  of  "  Christ  Church,"  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  all 
the  fire-engines  in  repair,  "  fifteen  able  persons  "  having  agreed  to  keep  the  engine  in 
good  repair,  and  to  attend  upon  any  accident  of  fire.  The  wardens  and  vestry  of 
the  parish  of  Christ  Church  were  also  authorized  to  procure,  by  March  of  1760, 
"fifty  leather  fire-buckets  of  the  common  size,  and  fifteen  fire-hooks."  The  buckets 
and  hooks  were  to  be  paid  for  by  a  tax  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  hearth? 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


33 


within  eacli  liouse  in  Savannah.  Nor  was  this  all ;  after  the  first  of  March  of  1760, 
each  dwelling-house  was  to  be  provided,  at  the  owner's  expense,  with  a  sufficient 
ladder  for  use,  "  suitable  to  the  height  of  the  house."  Such  were  the  fire  regulations 
in  Savannah  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years  ago. 

One  marked  success  of  the  administration  of  Governor  Ellis  was  his  influence 
with  the  Indians.  Like  Oglethorpe,  his  humane  policy  conciliated  and  won  their 
friendship.  The  war  between  England  and  France  led  to  turbulence  and  bloodshed 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  South  Carolina  was  stirred  to  the  depths  by  fearful  mas- 
saci'es  ;  within  Georgia  the  tact  of  Governor  P^Uis  preserved  peace,  and  thus  on  the 
boi'ders  of  a  volcano  the  eruption  was  stayed.  An  indiscreet  act,  an  unguarded  word, 
and  the  fuse  would  have  been  touched  to  the  powder.  In  17;)7  an  act  was  passed  bear- 
ing witness  to  the  troubled  state,  "  for  every  white  male  person  from  the  ago  of  six- 
teen years  and  upw^ards  to  carry,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  fasts  and  festivals,  to  all  places 
of  public  worship,  one  good  gun,  or  a  pair  of  pistols,  with  at  least  six  charges  of  gun- 
powder and  1)all,"'  with  a  fine  of  three  shillings  to  all  disobeying  the  ordinance.  What 
a  formidable-looking  set  of  worshippers  must  have  met  in  the  churches  and  meeting- 
houses of  that  day  ;  worthy  rivals  to  the  grim  Pilgrims  of  Miles  Standish's  time,  who 
assembled  at  the  tap  of  the  drum,  with  gun  and  flint-lock,  to  march  in  stern  array  to 
church  !  Those  doughty  Pilgrims  and  brave  Southrons  were  ready  at  a  glance,  at  a 
word,  to  turn  from  the  prayer  and  praise  ascending  heavenward,  to  send  a  bullet 
whizzing  through  the  air  in  defence  of  wives,  children,  and  home.  The  pastors  of 
such  warlike  flocks  might  have  been  pardoned  a  slight  feeling  of  trepidation  in 
passing  from  the  doorway  to  the  pulpit  between  those  rows  of  fire-arms  ;  but  the 
Sabbaths  passed  serenely  ;  no  wild  shout  of  savage  frenzy  broke  upon  the  quiet  air. 
The  benediction  fell  upon  the  bowed  heads  of  the  colonists,  when  each  householder 
or  youth  quietly  shouldered  his  musket  and  returned  to  his  home.  Attendance  upon 
divine  service  in  those  days  was  not  an  act  of  conscience  or  of  inclination,  but  of 
positive  command,  enacted  through  the  General  Assembly  from  the  Crown. 

Attend,  ye  lax  observers,  to  the  laws  placed  upon  your  virtuous  forefathers  ! 
"That  all  and  every  person  whatsoever,  shall  on  every  Lord's  day  apply  themselves 
to  the  observation  of  the  same,  by  exercising  themselves  thereon  in  the  duties  of 
piety  and  true  religion,  publicly  or  privately,  or  having  no  reasonable  or  lawful 
excuse,  on  every  Lord's  day  shall  resort  to  their  parish  church,  or  some  meeting  or 
assembly  of  religious  worship,  tolei'ated  and  allowed  by  the  laws  of  England,  and 
there  shall  abide,  orderly  and  soberly  during  the  time  of  prayer  and  preaching,  on 


34 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


pain  or  forfeiture  for  every  neglect,  of  the  sum  of  two  shillings  and  sixpence,  allowing 
no  person  to  work  on  Sunday,  except  works  of  necessity  and  charity.  No  person  or 
traveler  whatsoever  shall  travel  on  the  Lord's  Day  by  land  or  on  the  Lord's  Day  by 
water,"  mark  this,  "except  to  a  place  of  woi-ship,  and  to  return  again,  or  to  visit  or 
relieve  any  sick  persons,  or  unless  the  person  or  persons  were  belated  the  night 
before,  and  then  to  travel  no  farther  than  to  some  convenient  inn  or  place  of  shelter 
for  that  day,  or  upon  some  extraordinary  occasion  for  which  he,  she  or  they  shall 
be  allowed  to  travel  under  the  hand  of  some  justice  of  the  peace  of  this  province." 
What  would  be  the  thoughts  of  the  worthy  law-givers,  could  they  return  to-day  to 
the  city  of  their  once  rigorous  government?  It  is  well  the  curtain  cannot  be  drawn. 
Hear  further,  "  And  for  the  better  keeping  of  good  order  on  the  Lord's  Day,  be  it 
further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  the  Church  Wardens  and  Constables 
of  each  parish  respectively,  shall  once  in  the  fo^renoon  and  once  in  the  afternoon  in 
the  time  of  divine  service  walk  thro'  the  town  of  Savannah,  and  the  respective  towns 
of  this  province,  to  observe,  suppress  and  apprehend  all  offenders  whatsoever  con- 
trary to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  this  Act.  And  they  shall  have  power  and 
are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  enter  into  any  publick  house  or  tipling 
house  to  search  for  any  such  offenders,  and  in  case  they  are  denied  entrance,  shall 
have  power  and  are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  lireak  open  and  cause  to  be 
broken  open  any  of  the  doors  of  the  said  house  and  enter  therein.  This  act  to  be 
read  yearly,  and  every  year  at  least  four  times  in  each  year  before  the  sermon  begins, 
and  every  Minister  is  hereby  required  to  read  the  same  in  his  respective  place  of 
divine  worship." 

Unlike  Governor  Reynolds,  Crovernor  Ellis  was  removed  from  office  at  his  own 
request,  owing  to  a  reduced  state  of  health,  which  he  attributed  to  the  climate.  The 
people  wei-e  loath  to  give  him  up,  for  kindness  and  equity  had  marked  his  adminis- 
tration. James  Wright,  his  successor,  arrived  in  Savannah  in  the  month  of  October, 
1760.  He  was  received  with  the  usual  formalities,  without  any  demonstrations  of 
delight,  for  the  approaching  departure  of  ex-Governor  Ellis  created  a  widespread 
regret.  James  Wright,  the  last  and  most  famous  of  the  royal  governors,  was  emi- 
nently fitted  by  birth  and  education  to  be  the  executive  head.  Born  in  South  Caro- 
lina, his  father  the  Honorable  Robert  Wright,  Chief  Justice  of  the  State,  he  was  bred 
in  an  atmosphere  of  colonial  affairs  that  bore  legitimate  fruits  when  he  became  the 
director  of  affairs  in  Georgia.  George  III.  issued  a  commission  on  the  twentieth  of 
March,  1761,  by  which  full  executive  powers,  with  the  titles  of  Captain-General  and 


HISTORIC  AND   I'lCTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


35 


Governor-in-CMiief,  were  conferred  upon  James  )\'ris'ht.  Over  two  years  of  his 
governorship  had  passed  before  the  arrival  of  the  commission,  so  slow  was  the  transit 
between  England  and  Georgia.  It  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  general  holiday  ;  on 
the  twenty-eighth  day  of  January,  1762,  the  commission  was  pronuilgated  in  the 
presence  of  the  militia,  commanded  hy  Colonel  Noble  .[ones,  drawn  up  in  Johnson 
square. 

At  the  close  of  the  reading,  the  militia  tired  a  salute,  wliich  was  answered  by 
the  fort  and  all  the  ships  in  the  harbor.  The  ladies  were  not  forgotten  in  the  fes- 
tivities. The  Governor  gave  them  a  ball,  where  "there  was  the  most  numerous  and 
brilliant  appearance  ever  known  in  the  town,"  and  it  was  also  an  occasion  "on  which 
the  joy  and  satisfaction  of  the  people  were  never  more  apparent." 

This  is  all  that  the  record  gives.  Where  were  the  gossips  of  the  day  ?  These  few 
generalizations  only  whet  the  appetite  for  more.  Had  their  customary  dish  of  tea 
been  denied  them,  that  they  failed  to  furnish  those  delightful  glimpses  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  ball-room  ?  Where  is  the  minute  description  of  toilet  or  of  person,  accord- 
ing to  a  gossip's  habit,  or  tidbit  of  racy  ball-room  scandal,  peopling  the  scene  with 
glowing  life,  sometimes  most  erringly  human?  Alas  that  the  belles  of  that  first 
public  ball  in  Savannah  should  forever  be  nameless  I  The  first  ball,  to  a  town,  is 
like  the  first  to  a  tUbutcuite;  it  may  not  equal  ui  splendor  many  of  later  attendance, 
but  its  memory  will  linger  in  pristine  freshness  to  old  age,  the  other's  forgotten  by  the 
jaded  senses.  The  fast-dimming  eye  will  gain  a  momentary  sparkle,  the  slowing 
pulse  will  feel  a  stirring  thrill,  while  the  aged  belle  recounts  to  a  younger  generation 
the  triumphs  of  her  first  l)all.    That  pleasure  is  lost  to  Savannah. 

The  acts  of  the  General  Assembly  of  successive  years,  in  the  absence  of  ample 
records,  afford  an  interesting  key  to  the  solution  of  many  a  perplexing  question 
concerning  Savannah's  colonial  days. 

The  heavy  curtain  of  years  is  lifted,  and  glimpses  are  gained  of  the  colonists  in 
their  every-day  occupations.  From  the  days  of  antiquity  to  the  present,  the  market- 
place has  reflected  the  expression,  political  and  religious,  of  its  conmiunity  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree.  It  is  safe  to  say,  in  Savannah,  as  in  every  settlement,  the 
market  began  with  its  foundation.  Eating  and  drinking  enter  too  largely  into  the 
actual  existence  of  life  to  be  relegated  to  a  second  place,  and  the  principle  of  buying 
and  selling  is  ever  the  shadow  dogging  the  heels  of  that  actual  existence.  No 
record  has  been  found  designating  the  site  of  the  first  market  in  Savannah  ;  but  it  is 
not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was  held  in  Johnson  square,  the  first  square  laid 


36 


EISTOBIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


off,  for  did  not  Oglethorpe  expressly  state  that  one  purpose  of  the  square  was  its 
convenience  for  a  market.  To  be  sure,  the  public  store,  located  whei'e  now  stands 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Olmstead's  bank,  largely  supplied  the  needs  of  the  colonists  ;  but 
in  some  part  of  the  town  there  was  held  a  market.  Among  the  complaints  of  the 
first  General  Assembly,  in  1750,  to  the  President  and  Council  was  "  the  want  of  a 
clerk  of  the  market."  The  seventh  of  March,  17.55,  is  the  first  date  recording  an 
act  passed  by  the  General  Assemblj^  to  establish  a  market  in  the  town  of  Savannah, 
but  no  mention  is  made  of  a  site.  Again,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1758,  "  An 
act  for  better  regulating  the  market  in  the  town  of  Savannah  "  was  passed.  By  this 
act,  a  market  was  to  be  held  "  at  the  usual  market-place  in  the  town  of  Savannah  "  on 
every  day  of  the  week  except  Sunda}',  the  inhabitants  apprised  of  the  hour  of 
opening  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell  for  fifteen  minutes,  at  least,  to  be  provided  at  pub- 
lic expense  ;  but,  until  so  provided,  the  ringing  of  one  of  the  church  bells  was 'to 
mark  the  hour  of  opening,  the  town  clock  to  be  the  standard  of  time.  Still  no  site 
is  designated,  l)ut  an  act  passed  on  the  seventh  of  April,  1763,  called  "An  act  to 
repair  Christ  Church,"  furnishes  the  solution.  According  to  this  act,  the  commis- 
sioners named  and  appointed,  or  any  five  of  them,  were  empowered  to  remove  the 


market  site  ?  Doubtless  ;  for,  as  the  town  increased  southward,  Wright  square  was  se- 
lected, to  affbrd  a  more  central  location  than  Johnson  square  to  the  distant  household- 
ers. The  last  part  of  the  act  authorized  the  commissioners,  or  any  five  of  them ,  "  to  lay 
out  a  proper  space  and  quantity  of  ground  in  a  square,  in  the  said  town  of  Savannah, 
called  Ellis  square,  and  thereon  to  cause  the  buildings  and  stalls  for  a  market  to  be 
placed  and  put,  which  said  ground,  so  laid  out,  shall  be,  and  is  from  henceforth 
allotted  and  appropriated  to  and  for  the  use  and  convenience  of  a  publick  market." 
The  site  of  1763  is  the  market  site  of  1888.  It  has  so  remained  from  that  time  to 
this,  with  the  exception  of  the  year  following  the  great  fire,  in  1820,  when  the  mar- 
ket was  burned.  It  was  then  advanced  southward  to  South  Broad  street,  extending 
near  the  intersection  of  Barnard  and  South  Broad  streets.  The  early  fathers  were 
not  content  with  the  ofiicial  promulgation  of  the  new  act  in  1758,  regarding  the 
regulating  of  the  market,  for  there  is  added  :  "  This  Act  to  be  read  on  one  day  in 
every  week  for  four  weeks  successively,  next  after  the  nineteenth  of  March,  1758, 


buildings  and  stalls  now  erected  and  used  for  a  market  in 
the  centre  of  a  square  of  the  said  town  of  Savannah,  called 
Wright  square.  There,  then,  was  the  market  in  front  of 
the  Court  House,  in  Wright  square.    Before  1750  was  it  the 


HISTORIC  AND  FKJTUUESQUE  SAVANNAH 


37 


between  the  hours  of  eight  and  ten  in  the  forenoon  of  each  day,  provided  always, 
that  if  the  town  Clock  shall  at  any  time  be  out  of  order,  or  shall  be  taken  down  to 
be  cleaned  or  mended,  then  the  hour  for  ringing  the  bell  shall  be  determined  by  any 
of  the  Commissioners  —  Anything  herein  before  contained  to  the  contrary  thereof  not- 
withstanding." The  quaint  record  penned  by  such  fair-minded  legislators,  desirous 
of  giving  all  the  colonists  an  equal  chance  to  supply  their  kitchens,  naively  betrays 
to  later  generations  the  weakness  of  the  town  clock.  Would  that  occasion  had 
called  for  so  minute  a  record  of  their  daily  routine  of  life,  that  not  only  church  and 
market-place,  but  their  homes  in  colonial  simplicity  might  rise  before  us  !  The 
school-house,  with  its  master,  was  intimately  associated  with  the  market ;  for  in 
1760,  on  the  nineteenth  of  September,  a  grant  was  made  to  James  Habersham, 
Noble  Jones,  Francis  Harris,  Jonathan  Bryan,  William  Knox,  and  Grey  Elliott, 
Esquires,  and  the  Reverend  Bartholomew  Zouberbuhler,  clerk,  of  the  lot  number 
two,  Holland  Tything,  Percival  Ward,  in  trust,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  school- 
house.  In  1764,  by  an  act  for  better  regulating  the  market,  the  rentals  arising 
from  the  stalls  and  houses  of  the  new  market  were  to  be  applied  to  the  maintenance 
of  a  schoolmaster,  after  the  necessary  expense  of  the  market  had  been  deducted. 

Governor  Wright  turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  colony. 
Energetic,  zealous,  well-balanced,  his  firm  rule  was  felt  throughout  the  province. 
The  time  was  opportune  for  growth  and  prosperity  ;  with  the  neighboring  Indians 
pacified  and  contented  by  Governor  Wright's  tact  and  presents,  at  peace  with  the 
French  and  Spanish,  Georgia  no  longer  feared  a  disturbing  frontier- warfare,  for  the 
East  and  West  Floridas,  ceded  by  the  Spanish  to  the  English,  formed  a  protection 
along  her  southern  and  western  borders.  Immigration  flowed  into  the  colony,  in- 
dustry increased,  and  new  settlements  were  projected.  Georgia  began  to  realize 
the  hopes  of  her  founders,  of  a  vigorous,  flourishing  colony.  This  in  general  — 
individually,  the  town  of  Savannah  was  beautified  and  enlaro-ed  by  the  able  head  of 
the  government ;  the  foolish  project  favored  by  former  governors  to  make  Hardwicke 
the  capital  was  abandoned  by  James  Wright.  Savannah  remained  the  metropolis. 
Take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  town  in  1760.  There  were  between  three  hundred 
and  four  hundred  houses,  mostly  small,  l)uilt  of  wood.  Christ  Church,  an  Inde- 
pendent meeting-house,  a  Council  House,  a  Court  House,  and  a  filature  con- 
stituted the  architectural  features  of  the  town,  the  size  striking  the  beholder,  in 
distinction  from  the  dwellings,  rather  than  symmetry  of  proportion  or  evidence  of 
skilled  workmanship.    According  to  the  present  names  of  the  streets,  the  Bay 


38 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


formed  the  northern  boundary,  Lincoln  the  east,  South  Broad  the  south,  and  Jeffer- 
son street  the  west.  Six  squares  were  embraced  within  these  limits.  The  town 
was  Hanked  by  two  suburbs,  —  Yamacraw  on  the  west,  and  the  Trustees'  Gardens  on 
the  east.  In  1757  the  Surveyor-General,  De  Brahm,  at  the  request  of  Governor 
Ellis  and  the  General  Assembly,  began  to  intrench  the  town,  to  make  it  a  "recep- 
tacle and  shelter  for  all  the  planters,  their  families,  slaves,  and  so  forth." 
Governor  Wright  carried  on  the  fortifications  vigorously,  affording  within  the 
town  a  well-fortified  asylum.  "Two  poligons  with  three  Bastions,  were  built  on 
the  Southern  boundary,  two  poligons,  each  on  the  eastern  and  western  limits  of  the 
town,  with  a  demi-bastion,  the  intrenchmeuts  ending  at  the  river,  the.  northern 
boundary."  Wooden  towers  were  erected  in  the  corner  bastions,  with  sufficiently 
strong  2:)latforms  on  the  first  stories  to  support  twelve-pounder  cannons.  Among 
additional  fortifications  was  Fort  George,  erected  on  Cockspur  Island,  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  mouth  of  the  river.  De  Brahm  desci'ibes  it  "  as  only  a  small  redoubt 
one  hundred  feet  square  witii  a  Block-House  or  wooden  tower,  Bastionee  forty  feet 
square  in  it  to  serve  for  a  defence,  magazine  storehouse,  and  Barrack."  By  another, 
the  description  of  the  fort,  "  built  of  mud  walls,  faced  with  palmetto  logs,"  presents 
a  less  formidable  redoul)t  than  De  Brahm's  elaborate  one.  Within  the  tov/n,  on  the 
bluff",  w\as  Fort  Halifax,  erected  in  1759.  This  was  "made  of  planks  filled  in  with 
earth."  Repairs  were  made  to  the  lighthouse  on  Tybee  Island.  This  beacon, 
begun  in  1733,  under  Oglethorpe's  direction,  was  designed  to  be  "twenty-five  feet 
square  at  the  base,  ninety  feet  high,  and  ten  feet  each  way  at  the  top,"  to  be  con- 
structed "  of  the  l)est  pine,  strongly  timl)ered,  raised  upon  cedar  piles  and  brick  work 
round  the  bottom." 

Oglethorpe  continues  :  "It  must  be  of  good  service  to  all  shipping,  not  only  to 
those  bound  to  this  port,  but  also  to  Carolina,  for  the  land  of  all  the  coast  for  some 
hundred  miles  is  so  alike,  being  all  low  and  woody,  that  a  distinguishing  mark  is  of 
great  consequence."  Delays  occurred  frequently  in  the  building  of  this  tower, 
appropriations  being  made  by  the  General  Assembly  for  its  completion  through 
colonial  days.  In  the  course  of  time  it  fell  into  ruin,  and  it  has  been  supplanted  by 
the  present  substantial  lighthouse,  built  under  the  auspices  of  the  general  govern- 
ment. In  1760  an  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  assented  to  l)y  the 
Governor,  authorizing  certain  trustees  to  purchase  a  house  in  the  town  of  Savannah 
for  the  use  of  future  governors  of  the  province,  "  a  fit  and  commodious  dwelling 
house,"  the  whole  sum  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  pounds.    In  1761  an  act  prohib- 


BISTOMJC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


39 


ited  the  "  going  at  large  of  ho^s  and  goats  as  publick  nuisances."  Anotlicr  act,  in 
1764,  authorized  the  pulling  down  of  the  old  Court  House  on  Wright  square,  and 
the  rebuilding  of  a  new  one  upon  the  same  site.  At  the  time  of  erection  of  the 
old  Court  House  it  was  described  as  "  one  handsome  room  with  a  piache  on  three 
sides."  The  contemplated  court  house  was  to  contain,  in  addition  to  the  large 
courL-room,  a  "jury  room  with  other  conveniences."  No  cuts,  unfortunately,  have 
been  preserved  of  these  early  seats  of  justice. 

Early  in  1763  a  printing-press  was  established  in  Savannah,  the  avant-courrier 
to  a  newspaper  which  made  its  advent  on  the  seventh  of  April  of  the  same  year. 
The  "Georgia  Gazette,"  the  eighth  newspaper  to  appear  in  the  colonies,  was  edited 
by  Mr.  James  Johnson,  as  a  weekly.  There  was  then  no  "local"  column;  the 
newspaper  did  not  concern  itself  with  town  affairs  beyond  the  publication  of  mar- 
riages, deaths,  and  arrivals  of  vessels. 

Savannah  and  Charleston  had  much  mutual  intercourse  ;  the  Charleston  editor 
would  gather  from  Savannah's  townsmen,  visitors  to  Charleston,  all  the  items  and 
information  that  he  could,  concerning  Savannah.  This  he  would  publish  in  the 
Charleston  paper;  two  weeks  later  it  would  appear  in  the  "Georgia  Gazette." 

The  increasing  importance  of  the  town  was  further  indicated  in  1764  by  the 
establishment  of  a  post-office,  with  Robert  Bolton,  Esq.,  as  postmaster. 


CIIAPTEK  III. 


HE  accession  of  George  III.  to  the  throne  of  England  was  celebrated  in  Feb- 


-L  ruary  of  1761  with  much  pomp  and  splendor  in  Savannah,  several  months  after 
the  coronation  had  taken  place.  It  was  the  one  time  a  king  was  proclaimed  on  Georgia 
soil.  George  II.  had  died  suddenly  of  apoplexy,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  October, 
1760.  His  grandson,  while  riding  with  Lord  Bute,  was  overtaken  by  a  courier  with 
the  message  announcing  him  king  of  the  realm.  With  much  composure  the  young 
man  turned  back,  saying  that  his  horse  was  lame  ;  arriving  at  Kew,  he  said  to  the 
groom,  "I  have  said  my  horse  was  lame,  I  forbid  you  to  say  to  the  contrary."^  This 
young  man,  then  but  two  and  twenty  years,  a  few  years  later  thought  to  silence  the 
colonies  with  as  haughty  a  command.  "  We  shall  have  much  less  difficulty  in 
making  the  colonies  dance  to  the  tune  of  obedience  than  croakers  pretend,"  said  the 
well-pleased  monarch  to  his  confidential  adviser,  the  weak-headed  Bute,  appointed 
the  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury.  Among  the  croakers  was  Pitt,  who  had  resigned 
the  seals  of  power  in  the  presence  of  the  youthful  king.  The  royal  assent  to  the 
Stamp  Act,  in  1765,  aroused  the  outraged  colonists  to  the  importance  of  some  con- 
cert of  action. 

New  York  was  selected  for  the  General  Congress.  In  response  to  the  circular 
addressed  by  the  Asseml)ly  of  Massachusetts,  Alexander  Wylly,  Speaker  of  the 
Common  House  of  Assembly,  convened  the  assembly  in  Savannah  on  September 
second,  1765.  This  body  replied  to  Massachusetts  that  a  hearty  cooperation  would 
be  given  to  all  measures  for  the  support  and  rights  of  the  colonies,  but  no  delegates 
could  be  sent  to  the  proposed  congress  by  reason  of  the  Governor's  influence. 
Georgia's  situation  was  trying  and  peculiar ;  bound  hand  and  foot  to  the  Crown  by 
chains  of  government  and  ties  of  gratitude  (rather  an  odd  tie  to  obtrude  at  this 
crisis,  nevertheless  there  it  is),  look  well  to  her  history  before  branding  her  with 
the  curse  of  lukewarmness.    Little  more  than  a  generation  had  passed  since  her 


1 " 


'HISTORIC  AND   FIGTUREHQUE  SAVANNAH 


41 


foundation  upon  charity  alone  ;  millions  of  pounds  had  been  spent  for  her  mainten- 
ance, some  thousands  sunk  as  hopelessly  as  if  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit ;  with  no 
chartered  privileges,  for  at  the  expii-ation  of  the  trustees'  charter  Georgia  was 
thrown  upon  the  Crown  for  protection.  Nothing  but  the  Governor's  commission  — 
and  that  a  very  reed-like  affair —  lay  between  her  and  absolute  dependence  upon  the 
Crown.  Is  it  surprising  that  she  hesitated  a  moment,  the  youngest  of  the  colonies, 
barely  thirty-three  years  of  age  ;  not  yet  the  prime  of  life  to  man,  what  was  it  but  the 
dawn  of  life  to  a  State?  Her  influential  men  were  mostly  of  English  birth,  bound  by 
that  marked  characteristic  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  attachment  to  the  birthplace, 
through  all  changes  of  habitation ;  bound  again  by  gratitude  for  the  bounties  gener- 
ously bestowed  to  nurture  and  strengthen  the  colony  in  Georgia,  their  chosen  home. 
The  older  colonies  had  long  outgrown  that  soil-attachment  to  England ;  each  suc- 
ceeding generation  born  in  the  New  World  took  deeper  root,  till  there  was  the  soil- 
attachment.  Nor  had  the  mother  country  always  proved  so  fond  and  indulgent  a 
parent  as  to  this  colony  of  Georgia  ;  harshness,  nay,  even  persecution  at  times, 
marked  her  treatment  of  her  other  children.  Reader,  do  you  yet  wonder  that  the 
Georgia  colonists  clung  to  the  royal  government?  Besides,  at  the  helm  of  state  stood 
a  man  of  marked  ability  and  unswerving  loyalty  to  his  king.  James  Wright  com- 
mands admiration  alike  from  friend  and  foe  for  his  integrity  and  faithfulness  to  the 
royal  cause.  Sit  not,  then,  in  judgment  upon  Georgia,  if  the  struggle  between  the 
Loyalists  and  the  Liberty  Lovers  was  long  protracted  ;  power  and  influence  supported 
the  cause  of  royalty,  the  new-born  spirit  of  liberty  had  naught  but  youthful  ardor 
to  carry  it  into  the  conflict. 

As  the  train  of  discontent  lengthened,  colonial  alfairs  became  of  less  importance. 
A  common  danger  awoke  a  common  interest,  and  forged  the  common  bond  that 
led  to  the  grand  outburst  in  1776  ;  from  the  throes  of  the  Revolution  came  forth  the 
American  Nation.  Bands  of  patriots  from  Georgia  to  Maine  were  known  as  the 
"Sons  of  Liberty."  How  did  the  name  arise?  A  very  appropriate  name,  you  think, 
and  easily  accounted  for ;  but  its  origin  smacks  of  more  romance  than  the  natural 
outcome  of  a  liberty  party.'  Barre,  another  of  the  "croakers"  in  the  eyes  of  the 
young  king,  taunted  the  House  with  ignorance  of  American  afiairs.  Townshend, 
the  reputed  master  of  American  aflairs,  arose  and  let  forth  a  tirade  of  exhaustive 
argument  concerning  the  equity  of  taxation.    This  brought  Bai-re  again  to  his  feet, 


1  "History  of  the  City  of  New  York,"  by  Mrs.  Martlia  J.  Lamb. 


42 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


and  with  flashing  eyes  he  gave  vent  to  a  burst  of  unpremeditated  eloquence  that 
overwhelmed  Townshend,  and  defended  the  rights  of  the  colonists  to  resist  taxa- 
tion, apostrophizing  them  as  "  Sons  of  Liberty."  In  the  gallery  sat  Jared  Ingersoll, 
the  agent  from  Connecticut,  who,  delighted  with  Barre's  sentiments,  sent  a  report 
of  the  speech  to  New  London  across  the  water.  It  was  printed  in  the  town  news- 
paper, and  in  the  graphic  words  of  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb,  "  May  had  not  shed  its 
blossoms  before  the  words  of  Barre  were  in  every  village  and  hamlet  in  America." 

The  arrival  of  the  stamps,  in  December,  1765,  ai'oused  the  first  demonstration  of 
the  "  Sons  of  Liberty  "  in  Savannah.  Two  hundred  mustered  about  Fort  Halifax, 
where  the  papers  had  been  placed,  threatening  to  break  it  open  and  destroy  the  papers. 
The  Governor,  alarmed,  called  out  the  two  companies  of  Royal  Rangers,  who  marched 
to  the  fort,  took  out  the  stamps,  and  carried  them  in  a  cart  to  the  guard-house,  where 
they  were  placed  under  strict  guard.  The  (governor's  alarm  was  not  alone  for  the 
stamps ;  a  guard  of  forty  men  was  stationed  around  his  house,  and  it  is  said  for  four 
nights  he  did  not  undress.  Later  occurred  a  demonstration  of  a  larger  force.  This 
time  six  hundred  armed  men  assembled  near  the  town  and  threatened  to  storm  the 
Governor's  house  and  the  guard-house.  Again  were  the  papers  removed  and 
carried  to  Fort  George,  on  Cockspur  island,  where  they  were  placed  under 
the  protection  of  a  captain,  two  subalterns,  and  fifty  private  men  of  the  Royal 
Rangers.  The  day  following,  between  two  and  three  hundred  men  assembled 
on  the  Common  to  demand  a  redress  of  their  grievances.  The  Governor  ordered 
out  his  Marines  and  Rangers ;  an  ominous  moment  was  it ;  but  the  conflict 
was  not  yet;  the  people  dispersed,  satisfied  with  the  burning  of  the  Governor 
in  effigy.  When  the  stamps  arrived  in  Savannah,  between  sixty  and  seventy 
vessels  were  in  port  awaiting  clearance.  For  this  one  purpose  the  people  con- 
sented to  the  use  of  the  stamps,  thereby  calling  down  upon  themselves  a  storm 
of  indignation  from  sister  colonies.  South  Carolina  leading  in  anathemas  of  denun- 
ciation. The  repeal  of  the  act,  in  February,  1766,  brought  a  temporary  lull;  but 
the  seeds  of  discord  had  been  too  deeply  sown  to  be  uprooted,  nor  were  they 
brought  to  an  early  fruition  by  a  bloody  deed.  Slow  was  their  growth,  gathering 
strength  and  sustenance  till  they  blossomed  into  the  full  flower  of  a  mighty  revolu- 
tion. In  ten  years'  time  the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  had  grown  into  a  political  organ,  — 
ever  the  tendency  of  a  newspaper.  A  call  was  published  in  the  "  Gazette  "  by  the 
Lovers  of  Liberty  "  to  all  persons  within  the  province  to  meet  in  Savannah  to 
consider  the  Acts  of  the  British  Parliament,  which  are  particularly  calculated  to 


HIHTOEIC  AND   PICTURE fsQUE  SAVANNAH 


43 


deprive  the  American  Subjects  of  their  constitutional  rights  and  liberties,  as  parts 
of  the  British  Empire."  A  large  number  responded  to  the  call,  and  met  at  the 
watch-house  ;  but  all  of  the  parish  were  not  represented.  It  was  decided  then  to 
meet  later,  on  the  tenth  of  August,  1774.  They  did  meet,  in  the  face  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's proclamation,  "  that  they  must  do  so  at  their  pei'il."  The  meeting  of  the 
tenth  of  August  was  held  in  "  Tondee's  Tavern,"  situated  on  the  north-west  corner 
of  Broughton  and  Whitaker  streets,  where  now  stands  the  grocery  store  of  S.  W. 
Branch.  Thus  early  in  the  struggle  did  "  Tondee's  Tavern "  become  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Liberty  party.  The  innkeeper  himself  stood  in  the  doorway  with 
a  printed  list  of  names  of  recognized  "  Sons  of  Liberty  ;  "  none  others  were  admitted 
to  the  meeting.  Sturdy  supporter  of  the  Liberty  party  was  he,  of  whom  nothing  is 
known  beyond  two  facts  :  the  first  that  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union  Society  ; 
the  second,  penned  by  the  opposing  party,  that  he  stood  within  the  door  of  his  inn 
to  w^eleome  and  admit  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty."  Long  will  he  stand  a  figure  of  fidelity 
in  the  portal  of  his  tavern,  the  cradle  of  the  Liberty  party  in  Georgia.  Its  long 
room  echoed  to  the  impassioned  words  of  those  early  patriots,  among  whom  were 
conspicuous  Noble  Wymberly  Jones,  Archibald  Bullock,  John  Houstoun,  and  John 
Walton.  The  names  of  the  townsmen  most  zealous  in  the  cause  of  liberty  deserve 
mention  :  John  Glenn,  John  Smith,  Joseph  Clay,  John  Houstoun,  N.  W.  Jones, 
Lyman  Hall,  William  Young,  E.  Telfair,  Samuel  Farley,  George  Walton,  Joseph 
Habersham,  Jonathan  Bryan,  Jonathan  Cochrane,  George  W.  Mcintosh,  Sutton 
William  Gibbons,  Benjamin  Andrew,  John  Winn,  John  Stirk,  A.  Powell,  James 
Beaven,  D.  Zubly,  H.  L.  Bourquin,  Elishu  Butler,  William  Baker,  Parmenus  Way, 
John  Baker,  John  Mann,  John  Bennefield,  John  Stacy,  and  John  Morell. 

The  fifth  of  June,  1775,  the  king's  birthday  was  celebrated  as  usual.  The 
Governor  was  not  to  be  daunted  by  the  uncertain  temper  of  the  times ;  never  had  a 
king  a  more  faithful  executor  of  his  will.  At  the  same  time  Wright's  political 
sagacity  read  the  portents  of  the  culminating  storm.  A  few  days  before  the  cele- 
bration, the  Liberty  Lovers,  in  pointed  insult  to  the  memory  of  the  king,  spiked  all 
the  cannon  on  the  Bay,  dismounted  and  rolled  them  to  the  foot  of  the  blufl*.  A 
liberty-pole,  the  first  erected  in  Georgia,  was  set  up  in  front  of  Tondee's  Tavern, 
while  the  English  were  celebrating  the  king's  birthday.  Even  then  the  desire  for 
reconciliation  to  the  mother  country,  based  upon  a  recognition  of  constitutional 
principles  and  privileges,  constrained  the  Liberty  Lovers,  for  at  the  dinner,  held 
within  the  tavern,  the  first  toast  was  "The  king,"  the  second  was  "American 


44 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


liberty."  The  liberty-pole  now  became  a  rallying-point  for  patriots.  A  Union  flag 
was  hoisted  from  its  top,  and  two  tield-pieces  were  posted,  at  its  foot.  A  season  of 
mortification  fell  upon  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in  Georgia.  Owing  to  the  strong  in- 
fluence of  Governor  Wright  and  his  Council,  all  attempts  to  send  delegates  to  the 
Continental  Congress  convened  in  Philadelphia  on  May  tenth,  1775,  were  frustrated. 
Georgia  still  remained  outside  the  pale  of  continental  union,  but  the  news  of  the 
first  blood  shed  between  the  English  and  colonists  at  Lexington,  on  the  nineteenth 
of  April,  1775,  turned  the  tide  in  favor  of  liberty.  General  Gage's  order,  issued 
through  that  "disdainful  mouth-piece,"  Major  Pitcairn,  " Disperse,  ye  villains  ;  ye 
rebels,  disperse,"  struck  the  chord  of  national  life  that  quivered  from  Maine  to 
Georgia.  From  the  North  came  the  cry  for  })owder  simultaneously  with  the 
tidings  of  Lexington.  On  the  night  of  the  eleventh  of  May,  Noble  W.  Jones, 
Joseph  Habersham,  Edward  Telfair,  William  Gibbons,  Joseph  Clay,  and  John 
Milledge,  with  some  others,  seized  the  magazine  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
town,  on  the  site  of  the  old  gas-house,  broke  it  open,  and  took  about  six  hundred 
pounds  of  powder.  Much  of  it  was  stored  in  garrets  and  cellars  ;  some  was  sent  to 
Beaufort,  South  Carolina  ;  and  a  large  quantity,  upon  good  authority,  was  sent  to 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  where  it  was  used  in  the  defence  of  Bunker  Hill.  The 
loss  was  discovered  the  day  after  the  seizure,  and  a  reward  offered  by  the  Governor 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  for  information  concerning  those  engaged  in  the 
act.  All  were  well  known,  but  the  reward  went  unclaimed.  At  the  foot  of  the 
liberty-pole,  on  June  twenty-second,  1775,  a  Council  of  Safety  was  organized,  con- 
sisting of  sixteen  members,  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  an  active  correspondence 
with  the  Continental  Congress,  and  with  the  Councils  of  Safety  in  the  other  colonies. 
This  formed  a  fitting  prelude  to  the  meeting  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  held  in 
Tondee's  long  room  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1775.  Memorable  stands  this  Congress 
in  Georgia's  history,  representing  the  unanimous  voice  of  all  of  her  parishes. 
Plans  were  matured  to  carry  the  hitherto  dependent  province  into  the  ranks  of  an 
independent  State.  While  this  Congress  was  in  session  there  occurred  the  first 
capture  made  by  order  of  any  Congress  in  America.  An  English  vessel  laden  with 
powder  to  reenforce  the  Royalists  and  their  Indian  allies  was  captured  by  a  Georgia 
schooner,  said  to  be  the  first  provincial  vessel  commissioned  for  naval  warfare  in 
the  Revolution.  The  capture  took  place  off"  Ty bee  roads.  The  English  vessel,  sus- 
pecting an  attack  upon  entering  the  offing,  tacked  and  stood  out  to  sea,  followed  by 
the  Georgia  schooner  and  South  Carolina  bai'ges.    Georgia  received  nine  thousand 


HISTORIC  AND    I'lGTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


45 


pounds  as  her  share  of  the  booty,  five  thousand  of  which  were  sent  to  Philadelphia 
to  the  Continental  Congress,  to  be  distributed  to  the  troops  of  the  United  (Colonies. 

In  Revolutionary  days  religion  and  legislature  went  hand  in  hand,  for  no 
sooner  had  Congress  organized  with  Archibald  Bullock  as  president,  and  George 
Walton,  secretary,  than  it  adjourned  to  the  meeting-house,  then  in  Decker  Ward, 
where  Dr.  John  Zubly  treated  the  legislators  to  a  sennon  upon  the  alarming 
state  of  American  affairs,  after  which  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Congress 
for  the  excellent  sermon  he  had  preached.  Well  for  the  honor  of  his  name 
had  his  connection  with  the  Provincial  Congress  ceased  with  that  "excellent 
sermon."  Chosen  with  John  Houstoun,  Archibald  Bullock,  N.  W.  Jones, 
and  Lyman  Hall,  delegates  to  the  Continental  Congress  sitting  in  Philadelphia, 
he,  with  Archibald  Bullock  and  John  Houstoun,  of  the  five  members  elected, 
attended  the  Congress,  in  September,  1775.  Great  rejoicing  followed  this  entrance 
of  Georgia  into  the  sisterhood  of  the  United  Colonies.  She  formed  the  last  link  in 
the  chain  of  liberty.  Her  days  of  wavering  were  over;  the  Liberty  party  had  tri- 
umphed. When  came  the  final  test  of  patriotism  in  the  Continental  Congress,  the 
sundering  of  all  ties  between  England  and  the  colonies.  Dr.  Zubly  played  a 
treacherous  role.  He  opened  a  treasonable  correspondence  with  Sir  James  Wright, 
and  informed  him  of  the  acts  of  Congress  and  the  coming  rupture.  Bitterly  he 
rued  the  one  defection  of  an  otherwise  upright,  devoted  Christian  life.  No  ill  re- 
sulted to  Georgia ;  the  accumulation  fell  upon  him,  branding  his  good  name  with  the 
stigma  of  treason.  Upon  the  reestablishment  of  the  royal  government,  he  returned 
to  Savannah,  to  spend  the  few  years  left  him  in  untiring  ministerial  zeal.  It  was  an 
act  of  expiation.  In  recognition  of  his  labors  in  the  city  are  the  streets  Joachim 
and  Zubly,  also  the  hamlet  of  St.  Gall,  so  named  in  honor  of  his  birthplace  in 
Switzerland.  With  the  Council  of  Safety  now  lay  the  balance  of  power.  Weekly 
meetings  assembled  in  Tondee's  long  room  to  decide  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  the 
province. 

In  January,  1776,  a  battalion  of  troops  was  organized  for  the  protection  of 
Georgia,  Lachlan  Mcintosh  was  appointed  colonel,  Samuel  Elbert  lieutenant-col- 
onel, and  Joseph  Habersham  major.  Under  the  new  regime.  Sir  James  Wright 
was  virtually  helpless.  In  vain  he  petitioned  Parliament  to  allow  him  a  recall,  for, 
said  he,  in  one  of  his  letters,  "A  king's  governor  has  little  or  no  use  here."  His 
presence  in  Savannah  led  to  one  of  the  most  strikingly  dramatic  episodes  of  the 
Revolution.    Two  men-of-war,  with  a  transport  containing  a  detachment  of  troops, 


46 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE 


SA  VANNAS 


under  the  command  of  Majors  Maitland  and  Grant,  appeared  off  Tybee,  alarming 
the  Council  of  Safety,  who  feared  a  conjunction  with  the  Loyalists  in  the  town. 
Forthwith  the  Council  issued  the  order  "that  the  persons  of  his  Excellency  Sir 
James  Wright,  Bart.,  and  of  John  Mulryne,  Josiah  Tattnall,  and  Anthony  Stokes, 
Esqs.,  be  arrested  and  secured,  and  that  all  non-associates  be  forthwith  disarmed, 
except  those  who  will  give  their  parole,  assuring  that  they  will  not  aid,  assist,  or 
comfort  any  of  the  persons  on  board  His  Majesty's  ships-of-war,  or  take  up  arms 
against  America  in  the  present  unhappy  state  of  affairs. "  One  of  the  "  Sons  of  Lib- 
erty," Joseph  Habersham  (a  son  of  James  Habersham,  the  friend  and  adviser  of 
Oglethorpe),  oft'ered  his  services  to  apprehend  the  Grovernor. 

One  night,  while  the  Governor  sat  in  consultation  with  his  Councilloi's,  Joseph 
Habersham,  unarmed,  save  with  the  flush  of  youth  and  enthusiasm  of  liberty  (at 
times  a  most  defensive  armor),  marched  boldly  to  the  Governor's  house,  passed  the 
sentinels  stationed  at  the  door,  and  entered  the  hall  where  the  Governor  with  his 
august  Councillors  was  seated.  Approaching  the  Governor,  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
he  said,  "Sir  James  Wright,  you  are  my  prisoner."  What  followed?  A  panic 
among  that  august  body  of  Councillors.  Supposing  an  armed  force  at  the  heels  of  the 
intrepid  young  man,  they  fled  aff'righted  through  windows  and  doors, — a  most  undig- 
nified exit.  But  what  would  you?  When  daring  youth  enters  the  doorway,  it  is  the 
signal  for  the  retirement  of  old  age.  In  any  manner,  helter-skelter,  or  with  dignified 
step,  the  exit  must  be  made.  Sir  James  was  left  to  the  mercy  of  his  young  captor, 
who  did  not  abuse  his  privilege,  be  well  assured,  for  youth  is  genei'ous  as  well  as 
daring.  Should  a  Georgian  seek  a  theme  for  the  pen  or  the  Inuish,  here  is  one  un- 
touched, intense  with  the  elements  of  romance  and  artistic  power.  May  the  day 
come  when  the  annals  of  our  history  will  be  searched  for  vivid  portrayal,  by  the 
glowing  colors  of  the  palette,  or  the  subtler  touch  of  the  pen  !  Unprotected,  the 
young  soldier  invaded  the  guarded  quiet  of  the  Governor's  household,  and  thereby 
won  a  fame,  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  that  years  but  made  the  more  illustrious. 
Worthy  son  of  a  noble  sire  !  The  scene  of  the  exploit  was  the  Governor's  mansion, 
upon  the  site  of  the  Telfair  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  Governor  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  a  prisoner  in  his  own  house,  having  given  his  solemn  parole  not  to 
communicate  with  the  British  off"  Tybee.  Wearied  with  the  confinement,  subjected 
to  the  insults  of  thoughtless  people,  his  life  endangered  by  stray  shots  fired  into  the 
house  by  the  guard  for  amusement,  on  the  eleventh  of  February  he  eluded  the  vig- 
ilance of  the  guard,  and  ran  to  Bonaventure.    His  friend,  John  Mulryne,  provided 


BTSTORW  AND   I'JdTIIRMSQUE  SAVANNAH 


47 


a  small  l)0!it  to  carry  him  to  the  British  ship  "Scarborough,"  which  he  boarded  about 
three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  twelfth,  a  much-worn  but  thankful  royal  gov- 
ernor. The  day  following,  his  spirits  revived  by  the  bracing  atmosphere,  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  niem1)ers  of  his  Council,  from  his  watery  retreat,  to  be  laid  before  the 
Provincial  Congress.  In  this  letter  he  extended  the  olive  branch  to  the  people  of 
Georgia,  and  his  influence  to  maintain  peace,  if  they  would  but  permit  a  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  the  ships  and  a  supply  of  provisions.  Ah,  wily  governor,  the  people 
feared  too  much  your  strong  influence  to  grant  the  request,  couched  in  such  smooth 
terms.  The  people  wanted  more  than  an  oliVe  branch  of  peace.  Liberty,  and  that 
alone,  will  satisfy  them  now  ;  the  days  of  peace  are  over,  till  a  blood-bought  victory 
or  defeat  shall  again  make  "peace  "  a  possible  condition.  A  prompt  refusal  was  re- 
turned to  the  Governor.  Captain  Barclay,  the  commander  of  the  British  vessels, 
then  determined  to  attempt  the  capture  of  eleven  rice-laden  ships,  which  lay  under 
the  bluff"  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  slip  out  to  sea.  Revenge  and  hunger  are  ex- 
cellent motives  to  incite  an  attack.  The  Council  of  Safety  felt  the  war-clouds  in  the 
atmosphere.  Anticipating  a  speedy  outburst,  they  met  on  the  second  of  March  and 
appointed  Messrs.  Joseph  Clay,  Joseph  Reynolds,  John  McClure,  Joseph  Dunlap, 
and  John  Glenn  a  committee  "to  value  and  appraise  the  houses  in  town,  and  hamlets 
thereunto  belonging,  together  with  the  shipping  in  the  port,  the  property  of,  or  apper- 
taining to  the  friends  of  America,  who  have  associated  and  appeared,  or  who  shall 
appear,  in  the  present  alarm  to  defend  the  same ;  and  also  the  houses  of  the  widows 
and  orphans,  and  none  others.  The  houses  of  the  Royalists  were  not  valued."  It 
was  also  resolved  to  defend  the  town,  "  so  long  as  it  was  tenable,  and  that,  rather  than 
it  should  be  held  by  the  enemy,  it,  and  the  shipping  in  the  port,  should  be  burned,"  a 
sentiment  that  won  from  South  Carolina  warm  praise,  "  an  instance  of  heroic  principle 
not  exceeded  by  any,  and  equalled  by  but  few  in  history."  Thus  was  "the  amende 
honorable  "  rightly  given  by  South  Carolina  for  the  condemnatory  language  hurled 
at  Georgia  upon  the  clearance  of  her  port  by  the  use  of  the  obnoxious  stamps.  The 
attempt  to  capture  the  rice  ships  led  to  the  flrst  battle  of  the  Revolution  on  Georgia 
soil,  Hutchinson's  island  being  the  scene  of  the  discomfiture,  loss,  and  retreat  of  the 
Royalists,  the  Americans  not  losing  a  man.  Let  us  look  at  a  more  detailed  account 
of  the  action.  On  the  last  day  of  February,  1776,  the  "Scarborough,"  "  Hinchin- 
brooke,"  and  "  St.  John,"  with  two  transports  laden  with  troops,  sailed  up  the  river 
to  Five  Fathom  Hole,  opposite  the  point  of  land  on  which  Fort  Oglethorpe  now 
stands.    Two  days  later  the  "  Scarborough  "  anchored  opposite  the  town,  and  the 


48 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


"Hinchinbrooke, '  in  attempting  to  sail  around  Hutchinson's  island  to  come  down  the 
Savannah  river  to  the  rice  vessels,  ran  aground  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  and 
was  unable  to  get  off.  In  the  meantime,  what  had  happened  to  the  rice-laden  ves- 
sels? They  moved  over  near  to  Hutchinson's  island,  opposite  Yamacraw,  to  the 
Royalists'  side,  a  movement  which  points  most  conclusively  to  a  liberal  use  of 
British  gold,  although  the  matter  has  never  been  satisfactorily  settled. 

In  the  town,  Colonel  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  acting  under  the  orders  of  the  Council 
of  Safety,  made  all  necessary  preparations  to  meet  an  attack.  The  fort  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  bluff  ^vas  strengthened  and  reenfoi'ced.  Major  Habersham  was 
ordered  with  two  companies  of  riflemen  to  take  up  position  opposite  the  "  Hinchin- 
brooke,"  to  be  ready  to  tire  upon  her  in  the  early  morning ;  lastly,  Captain  Rice 
received  orders  to  go  aboard  the  vessel  the  next  morning  and  order  the  rudders 
and  rigging  sent  ashore,  to  prevent  the  captains'  possible  run  out  to  sea,  from  their 
connivance  with  the  Ro^'alists ;  but  too  late  was  Captain  Rice.  During  the  night 
the  British,  three  hundred  strong,  landed  on  Hutchinson's  island,  from  the  vessels 
in  Back  river,  marched  stealthily  across  the  island  and  took  possession  of  the  rice 
vessels,  while  the  town  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  lay  in  the  tranquil  slumber 
of  security.  Little  dreamed  the  sleeping  patriots  of  that  midnight  march  that 
frustrated  their  plans  and  brought  a  day  of  fire  and  shot.  Captain  Rice  left  early 
in  the  morning  of  the  third  of  March  to  carry  out  his  orders,  and  met  a  prisoner's 
fate.  A  blunder  of  the  British  revealed  the  secret  march  and  occupation  of  the 
ships  to  the  astounded  inhabitants  of  Savannah,  who  were  ill  prepared  for  the 
stratagems  of  war.  Majors  Grant  and  Maitland,  commanders  of  the  English  troops 
on  board  the  rice  vessels,  permitted  two  sailors  to  return  to  Savannah  for  some 
clothing,  under  promise  of  absolute  secrecy.  Of  course  the  secret  was  divulged 
of  Rice's  capture ;  and  the  news  spread  throughout  the  small  settlement  with 
lightning  rapidity.  All  males  were  soon  mustered  under  arms.  Three  hundred  men, 
under  Colonel  Mcintosh,  proceeding  to  Yamacraw,  threw  up  a  breastwork  and 
placed  three  four-pounders  in  position.  Tradition  has  marked  the  spot  "  Battle 
Row,"  on  the  bluff,  at  the  corner  of  West  Broad  street,  as  the  supposed  site  of 
the  breastwork.  From  this  eminence  was  first  fired  the  cannon  in  Georgia  in 
defence  of  American  rights.  In  the  meantime  the  "  Hinchinbrooke  "  floated  off  the 
shoal,  attempting  to  sail  down  the  river,  but  Colonel  Habersham's  riflemen  opened 
fire,  and  caused  the  Royalists  to  desist  in  their  object.  Rice's  capture  excited  the 
townspeople  and  soldiers  alike.     Lieutenant  Daniel  Roberts  and  Mr.  Raymond 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SA  VANNAE 


49 


Demere  (later  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major)  obtained  permission  to  go  over 
and  demand  the  surrender  of  the  captain.  Unarmed,  they  were  rowed  by  a  negro, 
as  it  happened,  to  the  vessel  aboard  of  which  were  Majors  Grant  and  Maitland  and 
Captain  Barclay.  The  reply  to  their  stated  mission  was  to  put  them  under 
arrest.  In  vain  the  impatient  townsmen  awaited  their  return.  Through  trumpets 
they  called  to  the  British  to  know  the  cause  of  detention.  Insulting  replies  fol- 
lowed, meeting  with  the  quick  response  of  cannon-shot.  This  led  to  the  writing  of 
a  letter,  signed  by  Roberts  and  Demere,  which  stated  that  the  British  would  treat 
with  any  two  people  the  Americans  "contided  in."  Captains  Screven  and  Baker 
with  about  a  dozen  riflemen  immediately  rowed  over,  and  peremptorily  demanded 
the  surrender  of  liice,  Roberts,  and  Demere,  without  waiting  for  the  action  of 
the  authorities.  The  officer  commanding  the  ship  responded  with  an  insult  that 
brought  in  reply  a  shot  from  Captain  Baker.  Musketry  and  cannon  were  poured 
from  the  ship  pointing  at  the  small  enemy.  The  riflemen  fired,  at  the  same  time 
hauling  oflf.  The  soldiei's  upon  the  bluff",  seeing  the  peril  of  their  friends  of  the  small 
craft,  opened  at  once  upon  the  vessels.  For  four  hours  a  continuous  fii'ing  was  kept 
up,  no  one  injured  on  the  American  side  except  a  rifleman  in  the  boat  from  the 
first  shot  fired  from  the  vessel.  At  four  o'clock  the  Council  of  Safety  met  and 
resolved  to  set  the  rice  vessels  on  fire.  Captain  Bowen  was  appointed  for  this 
duty,  with  the  assistance  of  Lieutenant  James  Jackson  and  John  Morel.  The 
"  Inverness,"  laden  with  rice  and  deer-skins,  was  set  on  fire  and  turned  adrift 
toward  the  rice  vessels.  She  succeeded  in  communicating  fire  to  some  of  them. 
The  British,  deserting  the  ships,  fled  into  the  marsh,  panic-stricken,  a  target  for  the 
Americans  stationed  on  the  bluft'  opposite.  Of  the  eleven  ships  two  escaped  the  fire- 
vessel  and  sailed  up  the  river  under  the  protection  of  the  men-of-war.  Six  were  de- 
stroyed Ijy  fire,  and  three  were  saved  and  brought  to  the  town  side.  The  British  made 
no  further  efforts,  but  returned  later  to  Tyl)ee  with  their  three  prisoners.  Rice,  Roberts, 
and  Demere.  In  retaliation,  the  Council  of  Safety  seized  all  the  members  present  of 
the  Royal  Council  in  Savannah,  and  thus  In'ought  about  an  exchange.  On  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  March,  Rice,  Demere,  and  Roberts  were  returned  to  their  friends. 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  and  imposing  were  the  ceremonies  in  Savannah  upon 
the  arrival  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  A  day  long  to  be  remembered,  that 
tenth  of  August,  when  Archibald  Bullock,  the  President  of  the  Council  of 
Safety,  assembled  the  Provincial  Council  in  the  Council  Chamber  to  hear  read 
that  Declaration,  — that  wonderful  production  of  a  wonderful  mind,  "  the  Immortal 


50 


HISTORIC 


AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


State  paper,"  "a  confession  of  faith  of  a  rising  Empire."  Again,  in  the  public 
square,  under  the  broad  expanse  of  the  heavens,  in  front  of  the  building  reserved 
for  the  Provincial  Assembly,  the  Declaration  was  read  in  the  midst  of  a  throng  of 
citizens.  Impressed  with  the  stirring  utterances,  acclamations  filled  the  air,  a  gen- 
eral salute  was  fired  by  the  Grenadier  and  Light  Infantry  companies,  afterwards 
a  procession  was  formed  to  march  to  the  liberty-pole  in  front  of  Tondee's  Tavern, 
in  the  following  order :  The  Grenadiers  in  front,  the  Provost-Marshal  on 
horseback  with  his  sword  drawn,  the  Secretary  bearing  the  Declaration ;  His 
Excellency  the  President,  the  Honorable  the  Council,  and  gentlemen  attending; 
the  Light  Infantry,  the  militia  of  the  town  and  district  of  Savannah  ;  and,  lastly, 
the  citizens.  Here,  under  the  emblem  of  the  liberty  the}^  sought,  in  front  of  the 
old  tavern  that  had  first  lent  its  shelter  to  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  the  Declaration 
was  again  read.  The  procession  was  now  augmented  by  the  Georgia  Battalion, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Mcintosh,  by  whose  order  a  salute  was  fired  of 
thirteen  volleys  from  the  field-pieces,  as  well  as  the  small-arms.  The  procession 
now  moved  with  solemn  tread  to  the  battery  in  the  trustees'  garden,  for  the  fourth  and 
last  time  listening  to  the  public  reading  of  the  Declaration.  A  salute  from  the  siege 
guns  stationed  th6re  followed.  Under  the  cooling  shades  of  the  cedars,  the  Alfresco 
dinner  was  served,  bumpers  were  filled  and  drunk,  for  the  first  time  in  Georgia,  to 
the  toast  of  "  The  prosperity  and  perpetuity  of  the  United,  Free,  and  Independent 
States  of  America."  American  liberty  now  reigned  alone  ;  the  kingly  toast  was  con- 
signed to  oblivion.  At  night  brilliant  illuminations  shone  in  the  town.  The  largest 
assemblage  of  citizens  till  then  ever  seen  in  Savannah  met,  and,  attended  by  the  com- 
panies and  militia,  marched  with  due  solemnity  to  the  front  of  the  Court  House^> 

With  reversed  arms  and  mufiied  drums,  His  Majesty  George  HI.  was  interred 
in  effigy,  with  appropriate  services  for  the  occasion.  The  first  anniversary  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1777,  was  observed  in  Savannah,  according  to  the 
following  orders  :  — 

Parole  -  Richmond.  Headquarters  Savannah,  Third  July,  1777. 

General  Order  bv  General  McIntosh  —  All  that  are  in  town  of  the  Georgia  Brigade 
with  those  on  board  the  Galleys,  and  the  Artillery  Company,  are  to  be  reviewed  tomorrow  morning 
at  ten  o'clock  on  the  Parade  near  Garden  Battery  by  General  Mcintosh,  and  it  is  expected  their 
Cloathes,  Arms,  Accoutrements  and  the  field  artillery  will  be  in  the  best  order,  and  eighteen  rounds  of 
blank  cartridges,  to  celebrate  the  Anniversary  of  the  most  exti'aordinary  and  glorious  Revolution  in 
the  History  of  Mankind.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America.  The 
Commissary  is  ordered  to  provide  a  Quarter  Cask  Rum,  a  Beef,  a  Hog,  and  a  Weather  to  Barbecue 
upon  the  occasion. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


51 


By  the  adoption  of  the  Declavation  of  Independence  in  spirit,  the  thirteen 
colonies  had  cast  off  the  royal  bondage  ;  but  the  ropes  and  cordage  were  still  there  ; 
the  struggle  had  but  just  l)egun.  Men  had,  with  set  muscles,  jaws  squared,  and 
determined  looks,  to  face  those  long,  weary  days  of  conflict.  From  January  to 
December  a  successive  round  of  years  followed  with  war,  "  grim  visaged  war,"  the 
daily,  hourly  companion  of  those  intrepid  men.  The  baptism  of  fire  of  the  nation 
in  its  infancy  toughened  the  sinews  and  muscles  of  the  tenderling,  and  made  it 
vigorous  and  strong  for  its  day  of  fair  maturity.  On  the  fifth  of  February,  1777, 
the  first  constitution  of  the  State  of  Georgia  was  ratified  in  convention.  The  aboli- 
tion of  monarchical  form  of  government,  fealty  to  England,  no  longer  tlie  main  factor 
of  colonial  life,  made  necessary  the  establishment  of  a  form  of  government  suited 
to  the  new  order  of  things.  Counties  superseded  the  old  parish  divisions  of  the 
colony.  Loyal  to  the  system  of  nomenclature  instituted  by  Oglethorpe,  the  coun- 
ties were  named,  with  one  exception,  after  Englishmen,  defenders  in  Parliament 
of  American  rights  and  privileges.  Christ  Church  Parish,  with  a  part  of  St.  Philip's, 
became  Chatham  County,  in  honor  of  the  elder  Pitt,  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  that 
English  Demosthenes  whose  voice,  ten  years  before,  had  pleaded  with  ringing 
eloquence  in  Parliament  against  the  oppression  of  the  Stamp  Act.  When  he  finally 
triumphed,  and  the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed,  to  him,  the  "Apostle  of  Freedom,"  the 
Americans  sent  these  words  in  grateful  acknowledgment :  "  America  calls  you  over 
and  over  again  her  father — Sire,  long  in  health,  happiness  and  honor.  Be  it  late 
when  you  must  cease  to  plead  the  cause  of  liberty  on  Elarth."  By  the  new  constitu- 
tion the  Legislature  consisted  of  a  House  of  Assembly  and  an  Executive  Council.  At 
the  head  of  the  State  government  was  a  governor  with  the  title  of  Honorable.  The 
great  seal  had  upon  one  side  a  scroll,  upon  which  was  engraved  "the  Constitution  of 
the  State  of  Georgia,"  with  the  motto  "  Pro  bono  publico  ;  "  on  the  other  side,  an  ele- 
gant house  and  other  buildings,  fields  of  corn,  and  meadows  covered  with  sheep  and 
cattle,  a  river  running  through  the  same,  with  a  ship  under  full  sail,  and  the  motto, 
"Deus  nobis  haec  otia  fecit."  The  first  sjovernor  chosen  under  the  new  orovernment 
was  John  Treutlen,  with  John  Houstoun,  Thomas  Chisholm,  William  Hofzindorf, 
William  Few,  John  Coleman,  William  Peacock,  John  Walton,  Arthur  Fort,  John 
Fulton,  John  Jones,  and  Benjamin  Andrews,  as  the  first  Executive  Council.  From 
the  assumption  of  duty  by  the  Governor  and  his  Executive  Council,  the  Council  of 
Safety  ceased  its  existence. 


CHAPTER  lY. 


N  the  fall  of  1778,  repeated  failures  of  the  Loyalist  ti'oops  in  the  northern 


provinces  determined  their  general,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  to  turn  attention  to  the 
securing  of  the  southern  provinces,  Georgia  having  been  selected  for  the  first 
attack.  Two  expeditions  were  arrayed  against  Greorgia :  the  one  from  the  north,  the 
fleet  under  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell  in  command  of  the 
troops ;  the  other  from  Florida,  under  Colonel  Prevost,  their  commander  in  East 
Florida,  who  was  under  orders  upon  the  junction  of  the  two  bodies  of  troops  to 
take  command  of  the  whole.  Savannah  was  well  open  to  an  attack,  for  she  was  in 
almost  a  defenceless  condition,  except  on  the  water-side.  The  old  fort  on  the 
eastern  end  of  the  bluff  had  been  enlarged,  a  battery  thrown  up,  and  a  few  more 
guns  mounted.  This  commanded  the  water  approach  to  the  town;,  but  the  land 
approaches  were  left  exposed.  The  fortifications  erected  by  De  Brahm,  to  afford 
a  protection  from  the  Indians,  had  long  since  fallen  into  decay.  General  Howe 
hastily  left  Sunbury  to  take  command  within  the  town  ;  the  report  of  the  formidable 
expedition  afloat,  and  the  marching  of  General  Prevost's  troops  from  St.  Augus- 
tine against  Savannah,  alarmed  Colonel  Mcintosh,  then  in  conmiand  of  the  town, 
with  a  small  force  inadequate  to  defend  the  place.  Two  days  after  Christmas  the 
entire  British  fleet  was  anchared  ofl'Tybee.  The  armed  squadron  consisted  of  the 
"Phoenix,"  forty-four  guns;  the  "Eose"  and  "Fowey,"  twenty-four  guns  each; 
the  "Vigilant,"  twenty-eight  guns;  and  the  brig  "Keppel,"  the  sloop  "Greenwich," 
and  the  galley  "  Comet."  On  the  transports  wei'e  about  three  thousand  and  five  hun- 
dred men.  General  Howe  had  but  about  nine  hundred  men  to  oppose  this  strong  force, 
many  of  his  men  ill  and  exhausted  by  the  Florida  campaign.  Colonel  Prevost's 
force  had  not  arrived,  and  the  British  were  at  first  disposed  to  await  the  arrival  before 
making  an  assault  upon  the  town,  being  in  ignorance  of  the  Americans'  weakness. 
Their  plan  was  materially  changed  when  (Colonel  Campbell  learned  from  the  men  cap- 
tured on  Wilmington  island  the  exact  condition  of  the  Americans.  He  decided  to 
attack  without  delay.    The  day  following,  the  squadron  sailed  up  within  two  miles 


(62) 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


53 


of  the  town  to  GirardeHu's  plantation ;  there  preparations  were  made  to  land  early 
the  next  morning.  In  the  meanwhile,  what  was  General  Howe  doing  to  protect  the 
small  town  from  so  formidable  an  invasion?  Deceived  regarding  the  enemy's  force, 
he  believed  that  his  force  of  nine  hundred  men  could  cope  with  them.  Concluding, 
and  rightly,  that  the  troops  would  land  below  Brewton  Hill,  and  advance  upon  the 
town  by  the  great  road  now  known  as  the  Thunderbolt  road,  Captain  John  C.  Smith, 
with  his  company  of  South  Carolinians,  was  sent  to  the  hill  to  watch  the  enemy. 
Brewton  Hill,  united  to  Girardeau's  plantation  by  means  of  a  narrow  causeway  one- 
third  of  a  mile  long,  was  about  three  or  four  miles  distant  from  the  city.  The  east 
of  the  town  was  then  an  almost  impassable  mai'sh.  To  the  west  of  the  marsh,  on  high 
ground,  General  Howe  placed  his  command,  to  cover  the  great  road  which  crossed 
the  marsh  on  a  narrow  causeway.  The  bridge  was  barricaded  over  the  small 
stream  that  ran  through  the  centre  of  the  marsh,  and  a  deep  ditch,  three  hundred 
yards  west  of  the  marsh,  was  dug  and  filled  with  water,  to  offer  further  obstructions 
to  the  advancing  columns.  The  exact  position  of  the  American  lines  is  not  known 
on  the  south-east  of  the  town,  but  it  is  supposed  to  have  stretched  across  the  road 
to  Thunderbolt,  a  short  distance  west  of  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  Savannah, 
Florida,  &  Western  Railway.  It  consisted  of  two  l)rigades,  the  first,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Elbert,  constituted  the  left ;  and  the  second,  under  Colon'el  Huger,  the  right 
wing.  Five  pieces  of  cannon  were  stationed  in  front  of  the  causeway.  The  new 
barracks  were  located  near  the  present  corner  of  Liberty  and  Bull  streets,  then 
surrounded  by  a  dense  thicket  of  trees,  the  roads  to  White  Bluft"  and  the  Ogeechee 
river  uniting  near  the  barracks.  There  Colonel  Walton  was  posted  with  one  hun- 
dred militia.  The  approaches  to  the  town  were  well  guarded,  with  one  exception, 
and  that  proved  the  "  rift  in  the  lute."  To  the  right  of  the  position  of  the  Ameri- 
cans lay  a  small  path  that  led  through  the  swamps  to  the  high  ground  on  the 
opposite  side.  Colonel  Walton  called  General  Howe's  attention  to  that  small  path- 
way and  the  necessity  of  a  guard  placed  there  ;  but  the  General  thought  the  matter 
too  trifling;  no  guard  was  stationed,  and  through  that  Avinding  pathway  the  British 
stole  to  victory.  Such  was  the  Americans'  position.  About  dawn  of  the  twenty- 
ninth  the  British  landed  on  the  plantation,  and  a  body  of  Highlanders,  under 
Captain  Cameron,  the  first  to  land,  was  thrown  forward  to  secure  Brewton  Hill. 
"  Captain  Smith  ordered  his  men  to  reserve  their  tire  until  the  enemy  were  close. 
The  Highlanders  marched  in  solid  column  half-way  up  the  hill,  when  the  Americans 
opened  upon  them,  killing  Captain  Cameron  and  two  privates,  and  wounding  five 


54 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


others.  The  first  and  .second  battalions  of  De  Lancy's  corps  of- New  York  Volun- 
teers and  the  first  battalion  of  the  Seventy-first  Regiment  of  foot,  all  under  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Maitland,  had  landed  immediately  after  the  Highlanders,  and  hearing  the 
firing,  rushed  forward  to  participate.  The  Highlanders,  who  had  been  thrown  into 
confusion  by  the  effective  fire  of  the  Americans,  rallied  and  advanced  with  their 
reenforcement.  Captain  Smith,  who  had  been  instructed  to  retire  if  attacked  by  a 
large  force,  retreated  to  the  main  body.  The  entire  force  of  the  enemy  now  landed 
and  formed  line  of  battle  on  top  of  the  hill,  and  there  remained,  while  Colonel 
Campbell  with  a  small  party  rode  forward  to  reconnoitre.  This  done,  the  Light 
Infantry,  under  Sir  James  Baird,  was  thrown  forward,  supported  by  De  Lancy's  New 
York  Volunteers.  Following  these  came  the  first  battalion  of  the  Seventy-first 
with  two  six-pounders  and  Wellworth's  battalion  of  Hessians  with  two  three- 
pounders.  By  three  o'clock  the  army  arrived  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the 
Americans  and  halted. 

"The  advantageous  position  selected  I)y  General  Howe  was  duly  noted  and 
appreciated  by  Colonel  Campbell,  and  he  determined  that  no  benefits  should  be 
derived  from  it.  He  therefore  aimed  to  turn  Howe's  risfht  fiank  or  sfet  into  his 
rear.'"'  Now  comes  the  furtherance  of  his  design  b}'  that  narrow,  well-worn  track 
through  the  marsh.  An  old  negro  with  the  quaint  name  of  QuaniuKj  Dolly,  familiarly 
known  as  Quash,  revealed  the  private  path  which  led  direct  to  the  rear  of  the 
American  line.  Fatal  revelation  !  Campbell,  overjoyed,  returned  to  his  command  and 
ordered  Sir  James  Baird,  with  the  Light  Infantry  and  the  New  York  Volunteers,  to 
follow  the  negro  through  the  swami),  and  attack  the  first  body  of  troops  found.  The 
willing  Quash,  followed  by  the  troops,  left  the  swamp  at  a  point  within  the  present 
Waringville,  entered  the  White  P>lulf  road,  and  swooped  suddenly  down  upon  the 
small  force  under  Walton,  which  made  a  brave  but  vain  resistance.  In  the  mean- 
while Campbell  had  been  manoeuvring  his  troops  in  front  as  if  about  to  attack, 
causing  the  Americans  to  play  upon  them  with  their  artillery.  The  distant  firing 
revealed  to  Campbell  the  accomplishment  of  Baird's  purpose.  Campbell  advanced 
his  line  at  a  rapid  pace,  the  artillery,  hithei'to  concealed  behind  a  hill,  pushed  to  the 
top  and  began  a  fast  firing  upon  the  Americans,  Sir  James  Baird  charging  in  the 
rear.  "The  Americans  were  between  two  fires,  and  opposed  to  them  was  a  force 
much  larger  and  better  disciplined.    Nothing  but  a  retreat  was  now  left  to  them. 


^  '■  Historical  Record  of  Savannah,"  by  F.  D.  Lee  and  J.  L.  Agnew. 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


55 


The  order  was  given  for  Colonel  Daniel  Roberts  with  the  artillery  to  secure  the 
causeway,  on  the  Augusta  road,  leading  across  Musgrove  Creek  and  swamp,  on  the 
west  of  the  town.  This  he  did,  and  the  right  flank  retreated  to  it  and  crossed  in 
safety.  The  left  flank  attempted  to  retreat  by  this  route,  but  before  their  arrival, 
the  British  drove  Colonel  Roberts  across  the  causeway  and  took  possession.  Colo- 
nel Elbert's  command,  many  of  whom  had  been  shot  and  bayoneted  as  they  ran 
through  the  town,  findino:  this  avenue  of  retreat  denied  them,  rushed  throug^h  the 
rice-fields,  near  the  , river.  The  tide  was  up,  and  Musgrove  creek  full  of  water. 
A  large  number  threw  away  their  arms  and  accoutrements  and  attempted  to  swim. 
Most  of  them  succeeded,  but  thirty  of  the  number  were  drowned.  The  remainder 
of  the  command,  two  hundred  in  number,  either  could  not  swim  or  dared  not 
attempt  to  cross,  and  there  stopped,  to  be  captured  a  few  moments  after.  .  These  were 
brought  back  to  town,  disarmed,  and  robbed  by  the  Highlanders.  Sir  James  Baird 
coming  up  at  the  time,  with  others  of  the  Highlanders,  mounted  himself  on  a  ladder  and 
sounded  his  brass  bugle-horn,  which  the  Highlanders  no  sooner  heard  than  they  all 
got  about  him.  He  addressed  them  in  Highland  language,  when  they  all  dispersed, 
and  finished  plundering  such  of  the  oflScers  and  men  as  had  been  fortunate  enough 
to  escape  the  first  search."  So  soon  as  Sir  Henry  Parker,  commander  of  the  fleet, 
learned  that  the  American  line  had  given  way,  he  sailed  past  the  battery,  at  the 
eastern  extremity  of  the  town,  called  Fort  Wayne,  in  honor  of  the  general  of  that 
name,  and  captured  three  ships,  three  brigs,  three  smaller  vessels,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  prisoners. 

The  land  force  captured  were  thii'ty-eight  oflScers,  four  hundred  and  fifteen  non- 
commissioned oflScers  and  privates,  one  stand  of  colors,  forty-eight  cannon,  twenty- 
three  mortars,  six  hundred  and  thirty-seven  stand  of  arms,  ninety  barrels  of  powder, 
and  other  munitions  of  war ;  the  British  losing  but  one  commissioned  ofiicer,  three 
men  killed,  one  sergeant,  and  fourteen  men  wounded. 

The  American  loss  was  eighty-three  men  killed,  thirty  drowned,  and  a  large 
number  wounded. 

Once  more  was  Savannah  under  royal  rule  ;  her  days  of  freedom  had  been  sliort. 
The  horrors  and  cruelties  that  ever  follow  in  the  wake  of  a  conquering  army  fell  to 
her  share.  Lawless  and  blood-thirsty  soldiers  pillaged  right  and  left ;  women  were 
insulted  ;  citizens  were  bayoneted ;  others  were  seized  and  carried  on  board  prison- 
ships,  there  to  be  penned  together  like  brutes.  The  frenzy  of  war  was  rife,  misery 
stared  the  inhabitants  in  the  face,  nor  were  matters  greatly  improved  when  the 
inhumanities  of  the  soldiers  were  restrained  and  checked  by  military  force. 


56 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTlUtEHQUE  SAVANNAH 


Upon  the  arrival  of  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Prevost,  a  house  now  belonging 
to  the  estate  of  Dunning,  on  the  north  side  of  Broughton  street,  became  the  head- 
quarters of  the  British. 

From  thence  issued  rules  and  exactions  of  the  most  stringent  order  to  those 
in  a  rebellious  frame  of  mind  and  attitude  to  the  reigning  kingly  government.  To 
those  who  returned  to  their  royal  allegiance,  ample  protection  and  privileges  were 
allowed.  What  a  season  of  desolation  to  the  ardent  "  Sons  of  Liberty  "  this  return 
to  the  despotism  of  royal  tyranny.  Week  after  week  witnessed  a  fresh  proclama- 
tion issued  to  induce  the  broken  in  spirit,  the  faint-hearted,  to  accept  fealty  to  the 
Crown.  A  reward  of  ten  guineas  was  offered  "for  every  committee  and  Assembly 
man  taken  within  the  limits  of  Georgia  ;  "  of  two  guineas  "  for  eveiy  lurking  villain 
who  might  be  sent  from  Carolina  to  molest  the  inhabitants."  All  articles  of  mer- 
chandise,  country  produce,  and  vegetables  were  sold  at  prescribed  prices,  and  only 
to  those  acknowledging  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Those  who  cherished  the  American 
cause  were  completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  Royalists,  dependent  for  their  daily 
supply  of  bread.  Murmurs,  complaints,  failed  to  arouse  sympathy.  Reported  to 
headquarters  by  numl)erless  spies,  the  very  walls  conspired  against  the  Americans; 
the  complainant  wiis  arrested  and  subjected  to  insult,  in  many  instances  deprived  of 
his  property.  Even  the  ladies  fell  under  military  rule.  A  number  of  them,  who 
openly  av  owed  sentiments  in  favor- of  the  American  cause,  were  placed  under  guard 
in  their  own  houses.  Indeed,  two  were  ordered  to  leave  the  town.  Outraged 
human  nature  fled  from  such  indignities.  Thousands  of  poor  women,  children,  and 
negroes  left  Georgia,  not  knowing  whither  the}^  went,  caring  for  little  else  but  to 
shake  off  Georgia  soil,  which  overwhelmed  their  hearthstones  in  that  cloud  of  dark- 
ness, the  thraldom  of  British  rule.  For  nine  months  the  Royalists  remained  in 
undisturbed  possession  of  Savannah. 

In  September  of  1779,  the  appearance  of  a  French  fleet  in  the  Savannah  river 
and  an  American  army  near  the  town  brought  a  gleam  of  hope  to  the  almost  spii'itless 
people,  —  a  hope  raised  to  be  dashed,  leaving  the  fetters  of  the  royal  chain  tightened 
for  a  few  years  longer.  Count  d"Estaing.  with  his  fleet  of  twenty  line-of-battle  and 
two  fifty-gun  ships,  eleven  frigates,  and  five  small-armed  vessels,  with  five  thousand 
French  soldiers,  appeared  oft"Tybee  the  third  of  September.  A  complete  surprise 
it  was  to  the  British  in  Savannah.  Not  till  the  seventh  of  the  month  did  General 
Prevost  become  convinced  that  Savannah,  and  not  Charleston,  was  the  ultimate  des- 
tination of  the  French  troops.    From  that  conviction  may  be  dated  his  efforts  to 


HISTORIC  AND    I'K'TURESQUK  SAVANNAH 


57 


make  the  town  impregnable  to  attack.  Prompt,  energetic,  untiring,  nothing  was 
left  undone  to  fortify  the  town,  to  make  it  u  stronghold  ;  .for  Prevost  realized  the 
superior  forces  arrayed  against  him,  and  the  odds  in  tlieir  favor,  should  they 
make  an  immediate  attack.  Prevost  worked  with  a  will,  in  spite  of  gloomy 
prognostications,  faithful  to  his  trust,  an  example  to  all  time  of  duty  well  done, 
well  rewarded.  With  the  French  troops  a  spirit  of  confidence  prevailed,  elated  . by 
the  recent  capture  of  two  towns  in  tho  West  Indies.  Aware  of  their  superiority  of 
force  by  land  and  sea,  confident  of  an  ultimate  success  over  the  small,  badly-fortitied 
town,  they  delayed  immediate  action.  On  the  tenth  of  September,  prior  to  the 
augmentation  of  the  allies  by  General  Lincoln's  command,  Count  d'Estaing,  who 
had  conducted  a  most  bombastic  correspondence  with  General  Prevost  relative  to 
the  surrender  of  the  town,  committed  the  fatal  error  of  granting  an  armistice  of 
twenty-four  hours.  The  failure  to  capture  the  British  army  in  Philadelphia  by  the 
combined  forces,  followed  by  the  successes  of  the  fleet  in  the  West  Indies,  proved 
too  great  a  reaction.  D'Estaing's  judgment  was,  for  the  moment,  blinded  with 
glory.  His  habitual  keenness  of  vision  was  dulled.  One  error  followed  another 
till  the  result  came  in  that  immense  sacrifice  of  life,  during  the  siege  of  Savannah, 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  the  greatest  of  the  Revolution.  Within  the  town  of 
Savannah  was  no  idleness.  Each  minute  of  the  twenty-four  hours'  armistice  was 
spent  in  active  preparation  to  complete  the  fortifications.  The  long  looked-for  re- 
enforcement  of  eight  hundred  men,  under  the  efficient  command  of  Colonel  Maitland, 
arrived  opportunely,  reviving  the  hopes  of  the  somewhat  dispirited  garrison. 
Favored  by  a  dense  fog.  Colonel  Maitland's  command  entered  the  river  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  seventeenth  of  Septeinl)er.  The  vast  French  fleet  lay  a  little  way  up 
the  river.  That  was  a  predicament  for  Maitland.  An  attempt  to  pass  the  fleet  meant 
destruction  or  capture.  Happily  for  Maitland,  a  negro  oysterman  was  captured  and 
interrogated.  He  gave  the  information  of  a  way  to  reach  Savannah  without  passing 
under  the  fire  of  the  fleet.  Under  this  negro's  pilotage,  the  vessels  passed  through 
the  narrow  channel  of  Wall's  cut,  into  the  river  above  the  hostile  squadron.  Soon 
the  troops  were  landed  on  the  bluff,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  garrison,  thus  increased  to 
twenty-eight  hundred  men.  An  instance  of  historical  repetition  occurs  in  regard  to 
this  channel  of  Wall's  cut.  In  1862  the  Confederates  failed  to  guard  the  cut,  and 
the  Federal  gun-boats  passed  through  it  into  the  river,  and  cut  off  communication 
between  Fort  Pulaski  and  the  city.  When  the  French  fleet  appeared  in  the  river, 
the  third  of  September,  Savannah  had  barely  a  fortification,  except  some  old  redoubts 


58 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


for  protection  against  the  Indians,  which  had,  at  different  times,  been  repaired. 
Within  two  weeks,  a  chain  of  redoubts  and  batteries  extended  from  the  river,  a  little 
east  of  what  is  now  East  Broad  street,  to  the  new  barracks,  near  Bull  and  Liberty 
streets,  from  thence  to  South  Broad  street,  ending  where  now  stands  the  Central 
Eailroad  depot  and  workshops.  At  this  last  point  were  the  best  fortifications  on 
the  lines,  called  the  Spring-hill  redoubt,  commanding  the  road  to  Augusta  and 
Ebenezer,  along  Musgrove  creek.     But  small  redoubts  were  necessary,  for  the 

swamp  proved  al- 
most impassable. 
One  vessel  was 
anchored  at  the 
mouth  of  the  creek 
to  command  the 
I'ice-fields.  Below 
the  town  six  ves- 
sels had  been  sunk 
across  the  channel 
to  prevent  the 
French  frigates  ap- 
proaching too  near 
the  town.  Above 
were  several  ves- 


sels  sunk.    Also  a 

boom  was  laid  across  the  river  to  prevent  fire-rafts  from  floating  down  among  the 
shipping.  The  batteries  and  redoubts  were  manned  with  seventy-six  guns,  under 
the  care  of  the  captains  and  crews  of  the  vessels  and  merchantmen  then  in  the  river, 
in  addition  to  the  regular  troops. 

Such  were  the  wisely  planned  and  executed  defences  within  the  town  by  the 
British  to  resist  the  combined  forces  of  the  French  and  the  Americans.  Augmented 
by  Colonel  Maitland's  trcwps,  the  l)esieged  felt  more  hopeful ;  the  armistice  of  one  day 
frustrated  the  plan  of  attack  meditated  by  D'Estaing,  and  a  siege  was  decided  upon 
rather  than  the  concerted  attack,  —  no  preparations  had  been  made  for  it,  and  much 
time  was  consumed  in  bringing  the  requisite  cannon,  mortars,  and  ammunition  from 
the  French  fleet.  The  siege  now  began  in  earnest.  Shot  and  shell  poured  into  the 
town.    For  two  weeks  a  frequent  cannonading  was  kept  up,  the  besiegers  ever 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTUUESQUE  SAVANNAH 


59 


approaching  nearer.  By  the  sixth  of  October  the  firing  became  so  severe,  from 
both  tlie  land  force  and  tlie  broadside  of  the  frigate  "  La  Trinite,"'  in  tlie  river,  that 
Colonel  Prevost  sent  a  letter  to  Count  d'Estaing  asking  permission  to  allow  the 
w^omen  and  children  in  the  town  to  embark  on  a  ship  under  the  protection  of  one  of 
the  French  men-of-war.  According  to  an  aid-de-cauip  of  General  Prevost,  the  town 
of  wooden  houses  was  torn  into  fragments  of  wood  by  shot  and  shell,  the  shrieks 
of  the  women  and  children  were  heard  on  all  sides,  many  poor  creatures  killed  in 
trying  to  reach  their  cellars,  or  to  hide  themselves  under  the  blurt".  A  frightful 
picture  to  contemplate,  this  besieged  town,  with  no  ju'otection  for  helpless  humanity. 
The  request  was  not  granted.  Earlier  in  the  siege  a  similar  request  had  been  tendered 
by  General  Mcintosh,  whose  wife  and  children  were  in  the  town.  This  was  refused. 
The  besieger  and  besieged  were  at  quits.  Bombardtnents  continued  on  the  sixth, 
seventh,  and  eighth.  By  the  ninth  the  allied  generals  determined  to  carry  the  town 
by  assault.  Again  an  evil  fortune  dogged  their  eftbrts.  On  the  eve  of  battle  a  ser- 
geant deserted  to  the  enemy  with  a  copy  of  the  order  of  attack,  and  in  ignorance  of 
the  country,  the  attack,  which  had  been  jjlanned  to  come  off  before  daylight,  was 
delayed  till  the  rising  sun  exj)osed  their  position  to  a  forewarned,  forearmed  enemy. 
It  IS  a  familiar  story,  but  ever  a  thrilling  one  to  Georgians,  the  deeds  of  prowess, 
of  valor,  of  that  eventful  October  day.  Before  the  sun  had  entered  the  fourth  hour 
of  its  march  toward  noon,  the  tale  was  told,  the  battle  fought  and  won.  A  varied 
array  of  nationalities  met  in  the  shock  of  arms  of  charging  column,  French  and 
Americans,  antagonized  by  English,  Scotch,  Hessians,  and  Loyalists  of  the  Caro- 
linas.  Prepared  for  the  concentration  of  attack  upon  Spring-hill  redoubt.  Hessians, 
Grenadiers,  and  Loyalists  met  with  galling  tire  the  well-drilled  troops  led  by  the 
dashing  D'Estaing.  Undaunted  they  pressed  on,  to  be  mowed  down  like  grain 
before  the  blast;  fearful  the  carnage.  Twice  was  D'Estaing  borne  wounded  from  the 
field.  Pulaski,  a  noble  figure,  on  his  black  charger,  pi^essed  to  the  front,  reanimat- 
ing the  flagging  Frenchmen.  In  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  endeavoring  to  rally  the 
disordered  troops,  to  lead  them  to  victory  or  death,  Pulaski  met  his  death-wound, 
struck  by  a  grape-shot  from  the  last  gun  of  the  bastion.  Jasper,  with  a  sublime 
courage,  seized  the  colors  as  they  fell  from  the  stiftening  hand  of  Lieutenant  Gray, 
and  in  the  face  of  that  pouring  shot  made  his  death-struggle  to  implant  them  for  the 
fourth  time  upon  the  ramparts.  In  vain  I  None  could  withstand  that  rain  of  fire. 
The  Americans  retreated,  Jasper  carrying  off  the  colors.  Victory  remained  with  the 
British,  but  the  brilliant  deeds  of  the  leaders  and  soldiers  of  the  defeated  army 


60 


HISTOBIV  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


remain  an  everlasting  possession  to  us.  Here  Pulaski's  name  was  written  in  shining 
letters  in  the  annals  of  our  history ;  here  Sergeant  Jasper  sealed  with  his  life-blood 
the  last  of  a  series  of  daring  acts  that  place  him  in  the  galaxy  of  Georgia's  heroic 
sons.  Mournful  is  the  record  of  the  slain  and  wounded,  one-third  of  the  attackins: 
army  counted  upon  its  crimson-stained  page.  At  ten  o'clock  a  truce  of  four  hours 
was  granted  to  the  allied  forces  to  bury  their  follen  comrades  within  certain  dis- 
tances. All  that  fell  within  the  redoubts  were  buried  by  the  British,  friend  and  foe 
alike,  in  one  sepulchre.  When  the  ground  was  cut  down,  in  1837,  to  fill  up  a  place 
where  the  Central  Railroad  depot  stands,  many  articles  of  warfare  were  found, 
mementos  of  that  day,  when  the  blood  of  man}'  nations  mingled  their  streams  in 
the  sandy  soil  of  Savannah.  To-day,  in  this  busy,  work-a-day  century,  a  depot  of 
the  vast  Central  Railroad  system  marks  the  spot  of  fearful  carnage.  Here  pass 
hourly  hurrying  throngs  of  humanity,  each  absorbed  in  his  tiny  circle  of  cares  or 
pleasures  ;  little  thinks  he  of  that  warm  October  morning,  over  a  century  ago,  when 
such  fearful  tragedies  were  enacted.  Pause  a  moment,  traveller,  from  the  rush  of 
sordid  money-getting.  Reflect  upon  those  nations  locked  in  deadly  combat,  and  then 
thank  God  for  the  peace  and  plenty  abroad  in  our  land.  Among  the  many  illus- 
trious persons  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Savannah  were  La  Perouse,  the  famous  navi- 
gator;  Count  Arthur  Dillon,  a  son  of  the  eleventh  Viscount  Dillon,  in  the  peerage  of 
Ireland  ;  the  Commander  of  the  "  Perseus,"  Geoi'ge  Keith  Elphinstone,  son  of  the 
tenth  Baron  Elphinstone,  of  the  [leerage  of  Scotland,  with  the  heroes  of  the  day, 
Count  d'Estaing,  Count  Pulaski,  and  General  Prevost.  No  further  attempt  was 
made  to  take  Savannah.  The  fleet  sailed  with  the  French  troops  from  Tybee  on  the 
second  of  November,  meeting  a  heavy  gale  that  dispersed  the  ships.  General 
Lincoln,  with  the  American  troops,  retreated  immediately  to  Ebenezer  Heights, 
whence  he  crossed  into  South  Carolina  to  Charleston.  The  following  letter,  with 
a  copy  of  a  memorandum  of  the  siege,  written  a  month  after,  presents  some  in- 
teresting features,  and  shows  the  Royalists'  side  of  the  picture  :  — 

Savannah,  November  eighth,  1779. 
My  Dear  Sirs,  —  By  this  time  I  presume  you  are  under  great  uneasiness  and  api^rehensions 
for  the  fate  of  Georgia,  invested  by  sea,  land  and  by  the  combined  powers  of  France  and  the 
Southern  rebel  colonies :  the  former  with  a  fleet  of  twenty-five  sails  of  the  line  and  above  a  Dozen 
frigates ;  and  between  three  and  four  thousand  Land  forces,  and  the  latter  with  between  two  and 
three  thousand  troops.  I  kept  a  memorandum  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Siege  for  my  own  satisfac- 
tion.   T  send  yon  herewith  a  copy  of  it  for  yours;  it  contains  almost  every  circumstance  that  with 


EISTORIC  AND  PICTURE tiQUE  SAVANNAH 


61 


propriety  I  could  commit  to  paper ;  in  addition  to  it,  I  may  add  that  never  did  a  sett  of  people  meet 
with  a  greater  Disappointment,  than  did  on  this  occasion,  the  Rebel  Gentry  and  their  great  and  good 
allies.  They  came  in  so  t'nll  of  Confidence  of  succeeding,  that  they  were  at  some  loss  where  to  lay 
the  blame,  each  abusing  the  other  for  deceiving  them.  The  French  havt;  still  some  frigates  cruizing 
off  our  harbor,  notwithstanding  which,  two  Express  Boats  are  just  now  going  away,  one  for  Eng- 
land, and  the  other  for  N.  York ;  the  odds  are  in  my  opinion  against  either  of  them  going  safe. 
Mrs.  ('ruger  is  now  here  very  well,  after  having  suffered  on  her  passage  exceedingly  by  a  most 
violent  storm,  and  being  detained  a  prisoner  for  a  month  on  board  the  French  tleet.  Sir  James 
Wallace  and  General  Garth  are  cai-ried  to  France,  as  is  Captn.  McKenzie  of  His  Majesty^s  ship 
Ariel,  who  was  also  taken,  with  several  other  vessels  bound  hither  off  Tybee.  We  are  all  hands 
sufferers  by  this  unfortunate  invasion.  The  difference  is,  we  have  acquired  glory  and  our  enemies 
Disgrace.  By  Ca^jt.  Galbreath  in  August,  the  last  conveyance  from  this  to  England,  I  did  myself 
the  pleasure  to  write  you,  separately  and  fully,  my  not  doing  so  at  present  is  not  having  anything 
very  pai'ticular  to  write,  at  least  what  would  require  troubling  you  with  separate  Letters.  If  Mr. 
Van  Schaack  is  in  England  I  beg  to  be  affectionately  remember'd  to  him.  I  thank  God  for  the 
enjoyment  of  my  health  in  a  very  unhealthy  Country,  and  I  pray  to  (iod  to  grant  you  health,  with 
evei'y  other  Blessing  and  Comfort  of  this  Life  and  am  very  much  my  dear  sirs, 

Yr  Much  obliged  &  very 

Affectionate  humble  Servt. 

J.  H.  CRUGER. 

Nancy  desires  her  most  affectionate  Regards  to  you  and  ]\Irs*Van  Schaack. 

HENRY  CRU(;ERSenr,U3q^^^^^ 
"  "      Junk,  j 


Memorandum  of  a  very  critical  period  in  the  province  of  (jeorgia.  —  A  little  previous  and 
during  the  Siege  of  Savannah  by  the  combined  powers  of  France  &  the  American  Rebels,  by  Sea  and 
Land,  under  the  command  of  the  Count  D'Estaing,  Five  Sail  of  Count  D'Estaing's  fleet  discovered 
off  Tybee  ye  S"".  Septr,  ye  C""  ye  sail  chased  Captn  Whitworth  going  express  to  New  York  into  Tybee ; 
from  this  time  for  a  week  forward  more  and  more  of  the  fi'ench  Ships  were  daily  seen.  Sunday 
night  and  Monday  Morning  ye  12"  &  IS"*  the  french  landed  their  troops  above  three  thousand  at 
Burley  ye  18"" —  Count  D'Estaing  by  a  tlagg  summoned  the  Town  in  the  name  of  ye  King  of  france, 
boasting  exceedingly  of  his  very  formidable  fleet  and  great  army,  flushed  with  victory  from  their  late 
success  at  St.  Vincents  &  Grenada,. threatening  an  assault  and  carefully  pointing  out  all  the  horrible 
Consequences  of  so  desperate  a  measure  —  reminding  the  General  that  he  would  be  responsible  by 
an  ill-judged  and  fruitless  opposition.  The  General  summoned  the  Field  Officers  upon  the  Count's 
letter.  The  jJurport  of  their  answer  was  that  British  Soldiers  never  could  think  of  surrendering  under 
any  circumstances  without  some  kind  of  conditions  and  terms  being  allowed  them.  The  next  day 
received  the  (bunt's  answer  —  that  according  to  the  rules  of  War  the  Besieged  and  not  the  Besiegers 
were  to  propose  terms.  We  asked  twenty  four  Houi's  to  consider,  which  was  readily  granted —  We 
having  nothing  else  in  view  but  to  steal  time  till  we  could  be  I'einforced  with  the  Beaufort  Garrison 
and  throw  up  some  work.    In  our  front  and  on  our  flanks,  where  we  were  almost  naked,  a  bar 


62 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


Abbatis  excepted,  and  owr  whole  force  (Militia  included)  not  exceeding  twelve  hundred  men  then, 
forming  a  fi'ont  from  right  to  left  near  two  miles.  Under  these  circumstances  weak  as  we  were, 
from  the  extensiveness  of  our  line  without  Batter}^  or  Breast  work  we  were  determined  to  have 
fought  jNIonsieur  had  he  thought  proper  to  come  on,  tho'  the  odds  were  against  us,  as  the  french  had 
then  laying  before  us  between  tvvo  and  three  thousand  men,  but  to  return,  as  says  the  Parson  when, 
like  me,  he  wanders  from  his  subject, — our  plan  succeeding  by  the  fortunate  arrival  of  Colonel 
Maitland  with  the  Beaufort  Garrison,  about  nine  hundred,  we  sent  the  Count  for  answer  (as  soon  as 
the  twentj'  four  Hours  were  expired)  thatin  a  Council  of  the  Principal  Civil  and  Military  otficers,  it  was 
unanimously  agreed  and  determined  to  defend  the  Town  —  Here  eudeth  all  Terms  till  ye  25  of  Septr., 
when  the  French  sent  out  a  Flagg  for  ye  purpose  of  Collecting  their  Wounded  and  Burying  their  Dead  — 
the  Consequences  of  a  Sortie  made  upon  them  that  Day  by  three  Companies  of  our  light  infantry.  Our 
loss  was  1  officer  of  ye  71",  killed,  and  21  Rank  and  File,  Kill'd  and  Wounded.  The  loss  of  ye  french, 
kiird  and  wounded  about  120  —  The  greatest  part  of  ye  first  and  second  week  that  the  french  lay  before 
us,  they  were  exceeding  busy  in  making  Batteries,  bringingup  their  Ships,  Guns,  18, 12  &  9  pounders 
Mortars  and  Ammunition,  and  intrenching  themselves ;  nor  were  we  behind  them  in  labour  by  night 
or  by  Day  building  Batteries  and  redoubts  under  the  direction  of  the  indefatigable  Captn  Moncrief , 
Chief  Engineer,  to  whom  we  must  in  a  great  measure  attribute  the  preservation  of  Savannah  and  its 
Garrison.  The  20"'  Sept  about  \  of  a  mile  from  Savannah,  the  Rose,  Man  of  War,  was  sunk  in  ye 
river  and  a  Day  or  two  after  that,  three  Transports,  about  2  miles  lower  down  the  River,  were  also 
sunk  to  stop  the  Channel,  but  Avithout  effect,  as  a  French  Frigate  &  two  large  Rebel  Gallies  passed 
them  ye  28""  Septr.  and  2''  of  Octr.  the  frigate  and  Gallies  opened  and  kept  up  a  continual  firing 
upon  the  town  for  tlie  whole  Day,  doing  no  otlier  mischief  than  breaking  s(jme  Windows  and 
frightening  the  Women  and  Children,  from  this  time  till  the  Siege  was  raised  they  continued  firing 
more  or  less  every  Day  and  night  without  hurting  a  ]\Ian  —  On  Sunday  night  ye  4""  Octbr  at  12 
O'clock  the  French  opened  their  Bomb  Battery,  consisting  of  7  or  8  Mortars  and  continued  throwing 
Shells  till  reveille  next  morning,  when  they  ojDened  at  once  all  their  Battering  Artillery,  wch  was 
immediately  returned  with  equal  fury  fi'om  ours,  which  shook  the  very  Elements,  until  the  Cannon 
became  too  heated  to  fire  any  longer  —  A  cessation  then  took  place  for  a  few  Hours,  when  the  fli'ing 
was  renewed  and  continued  jjretty  constantly  Day  and  Night  from  both  sides,  from  Guns  and 
Mortars — the  Enemy's  shells  were  10  inches,  ours  5^  —  Carcasses  were  thrown  for  2  nights,  wch 
only  bui'nt  2  Houses,  their  Shells,  tlio  perpetually  flying  did  little  or  no  Damage,  liut  their  shott 
greatly  injured  the  Town ;  scarcely  a  House  has  escaped,  several  are  irreparable.  The  whole  Rebel 
Army  all  this  time,  Continentals  and  ]\Iilitia  about  2500  under  Gen.  Lincoln,  laying  idle  so  much 
despised  bj-  the  french  as  not  to  be  allowed  to  go  into  their  camj^,  no  communication  together  —  On 
the  ninth  at  Day-break  Count  D'Estaing  with  his  Grenadiers  and  piok'd  men  of  his  Army  to  ye 
Amount  of  -tOOO  appeared  on  our  right  flank,  where  he  expected  to  force  the  line  and  enter  ye 
Town  —  The  Lord  fought  on  our  side  and  totally  defeated  the  blood-thirsty  purposes  of  the  Enemy 
—  who  talk'd  of  nothing  but  putting  all  to  the  Sword — We  had  not  300  men  engaged,  the  enemy 
advanc'd  in  three  Columns  with  Count  D'Estaing  at  their  head.  The  Ground  near  the  place  of 
attack,  which  might  have  been  very  favotu'able  to  them,  by  interposition  of  Providence,  proved  jusl 
the  reversed  ;  their  columns  were  thrown  together  in  confusion,  flank'd  by  our  Batteries  with  grape. 
We  buried  about  of  (our)  line  300.    The  french  allow  they  lost  that  morning  killed  and  wounded. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


63 


700,  and  that  their  expedition  to  Georgia  by  sickness,  has  cost  them  1200  men  besides  67  of  their 
officers  kill'd,  several  of  whom  were  of  higli  reputation.  The  Counts  D'Estaing  and  Polasky,  both 
badly  wounded  at  ye  lines,  the  latter  since  Deed,  the  loss  ye  rebels  sustained  we  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain,  though  many  of  their  best  Troops  and  their  most  forward  (ienivis  had  the  Honor  of 
falling  with  their  great  and  good  Allies,  who  held  them  exceedingly  cheap  with  the  most  sovereign 
contempt.  Our  loss  during  the  Siege  was  2  Captains  2  Subalterns  and  32  Rank  and  File  kill'd,  and 
50  odd  wounded.  At  the  same  time  that  Count  IVEstaing  attack'd  our  right,  the  Rebel  Gens. 
Mcintosh,  Huger  &  Williamson  attack'd  our  left  Hank  with  aljout  1200  Men,  Chiefly  Militia — but 
whether  it  was  meant  as  a  real  attack  or  a  feint  is  hard  to  determine,  as  under  cover  of  a  very  thick 
fog  they  came  on  and  went  ott'  wjth  only  the  loss  of  half  a  dozen  kill'd  and  20  or  30  wounded.  From 
ye  9"'  we  continually  expected  a  second  attack  from  Monsiem-  in  hopes  of  recovering  their  lost 
reputation  till  ye  lO""  when  we  discovered  that  ye  French  had  filed  oft'  to  the  right  to  Embark,  and 
ye  Rebels  to  the  left  to  march  to  their  resijeetivc  (quarters  in  this  Province  the  Carolinas  and 
Virginia.  Nove.  ye  4'".  We  rec'd  intelligence  yesterday  that  the  French  fleet  had  left  Tybee,  and 
were  out  of  sight,  gi'eatly  chagrined,  and  as  much  disappointed.  The  Georgia  Gentry  Rebels  were 
so  confident  of  succeeding  that  they  brought  their  wives  and  families  with  them  from  Carolina. 
The  Vigilant,  3  Gallies,  several  Transports,  with  all  ye  Convalescents,  the  Provisions,  Artillery  and 
Stores,  coming  from  Beaufort  not  being  able  to  reach  us,  but  by  getting  in  a  Creek  into  shallow 
water,  when  ye  French  Man-of-War  could  not  get  at  them  —  are  safe  —  Endorsement  — 

The  above  memorandum  by  J.  H.  Cruger  of  a  critical  period  in  Georgia  a  little 
before  and  during  the  siege  of  Savannah  was  sent  to  his  father  and  brother.  — 
H.  C,  Jr.,  "  Magazine  of  American  History,"  Aug.,  1878. 

Upon  the  expulsion  of  the  American  forces,  in  December,  1778,  a  civil  govern- 
ment was  established  in  Savannah,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Prevost  appointed  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Georgia  ;  this  position  he  held  till  the  return  of  the  former  royal 
governor,  Sir  James  Wright,  in  July,  1779.  According  to  the  friends  of  Sir  James 
Wright,  this  return  was  of  no  small  importance  to  the  garrison  in  Savannah. 
Owing  to  his  activity  was  it  that  the  siege  of  Savannah  became  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  events  of  the  war  in  the  southern  provinces ;  his  voice  decided  the  defence. 
In  the  council  of  war  held,  the  two  sides  I)eing  equally  divided,  he  cast  the  deciding 
vote.  With  the  light  of  his  former  administration,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  him 
the  controlling  spirit  back  of  the  indefatigable  Captain  Moucrief,  to  whom  Cruger 
accorded  such  praise.  The  exaltation  of  victory  within  the  garrison  soon  gave 
place  to  mourning  for  the  gallant  Colonel  Maitland,  who  died  suddenly  a  few  days 
after  the  siege.  Upon  his  reenforcement  hung  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  for,  accord- 
ing to  Lee,  in  his  "Memoirs,"  had  the  allied  forces  made  the  attack  any  four 
hours  before  the  junction  of  Lieutenant  Maitland,  that  would  have  sufficed  to  take 


64 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Savannah.  The  town  presented  a  sad  spectacle  of  war's  devastating  track.  Within 
a  year's  time  two  attacks  by  hostile  powers  had  well-nigh  destroyed  the  wooden 


settlement.  At  the  time  of  the  siege,  Savannah  consisted  of  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  houses,  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants  ;  when  it  ended,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  houses  were  utterly  uninhabitable,  having  been  used  as  military  quarters 
by  the  soldiers  and  negroes.  Over  a  thousand  shot  and  shell  poured  into  the  town 
from  the  batteries  of  the  allies,  bringing  havoc  and  destruction  in  their  train  ;  four 
houses  were  burned,  several  were  demolished,  and  a  large  number  injured  almost 
beyond  repair.  Shots  from  the  galleys  in  the  river  reached  Zubly's  meeting-house 
in  Decker  Ward,  and  from  the  frigate  shells  went  quite  across  the  camp  to  the 
barracks.  Public  buildings  were  in  ruins,  but  grape  and  shell  had  not  been  more 
destructive  than  the  rough  usage  of  troops  in  times  of  war.  As  late  as  in  1784 
the  town  showed  many  marks  of  the  terrible  ordeal,  for  in  a  letter  from  Savannah, 
vpritten  on  the  twenty-second  of  March,  is  the  following  :  "  I  walked  into  Savannah, 
which  has  suflfered  much  by  the  late  war,  visited  my  old  friend,  Mr.  Zubly's 
meeting-house,  which  is  in  a  very  ruinous  condition,  and  has  a  chimney  in  the 
middle  of  it,  having  been  a  hospital."  The  necessity  of  improvement  was  realized 
shortly  after  this,  for  in  the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  of  April  fifteenth,  1784,  was  pub- 
lished the  following  :  — 

The  trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Meeting-house  in  the  town  of  Savannah  are  requested  to  meet 
at  the  office  of  Olive  Lewis  Esq.  on  Saturday,  the  seventh  instant  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon 
to  devise  means,  and  appoint  a  proper  person  to  superintend  the  repairing  of  the  building  belonging 


So  much  for  the  aspect  of  the  town,  but  what  of  the  inhabitants?  Women  and 
children  were  the  chief  sufferers  ;  the  men,  heads  of  families,  were  absent,  enrolled 
in  the  American  army.  Pitiable  was  the  condition  of  those  helpless  women  and 
children  in  the  midst  of  a  brutal  soldiery,  whose  evil  passions,  inflamed  by  triumph, 
stopped  not  at  any  outrage. 

Delicate  women  found  their  way  barefoot  to  South  Carolina,  a  touching  picture 
of  woman's  suffering ;  —  unmindful  of  the  keen  physical  pain,  the  lacerating  of 
tender  fiesh,  they  kept  on,  to  escape  the  clutches  of  an  exulting  soldiery. 


-   to  said  society. 


JONATHAN  BRYAN, 
ROBERT  BOLTON, 
WILLIAM  GIBBONS,  Jnr. 


'  Savannau,  April  tenth,  178-1. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


fi5 


Sir  James  Wright,  with  his  usual  vigor  and  directness,  applied  himself  to  the 
solution  of  order  from  the  reigning  chaos.  Vigorous  measures  were  resorted  to,  to 
stamp  out  the  fast  enfeebling  germs  of  liberty.  Inducements  were  held  out  to  the 
people  to  return  to  the  royal  allegiance,  that  appealed  to  their  broken  spirits. 
Believing  their  cause  lost,  themselves  ground  down  by  insult,  by  outrage,  the  peace 
and  protection  afforded  by  the  English  government  held  all  that  was  desirable  to 
their  weakened  energies.  A  day  of  public  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God  was 
appointed  by  Sir  James  Wright,  on  October  twenty-ninth,  1779,  "for  his  divine  in- 
terposition and  signal  protection  displayed  in  the  late  deliverance  from  the  united 
elforts  of  rebellion  and  our  natural  enemies." 

Short-lived  was  the  British  security.  Savannah,  with  the  outposts  of  Ogeechee 
and  Ebenezer,  constituted  the  stronghold  of  British  government,  Augusta  having  been 
made  the  headquarters  of  the  State  government.  Month  by  month  encroachments 
were  steadily  made,  till  in  the  year  1782,  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Savannah 
was  all  that  remained  of  royal  authority  in  Georgia.  The  spirit  of  liberty  had  re- 
asserted itself.  Bitter  were  the  complaints  of  Sir  James  Wright,  in  his  letters,  of  the 
neglect  of  the  British  to  provide  proper  military  protection,  to  set  up  a  royal  civil 
government  in  Georgia.  He  strongl}'  fortified  the  town  ;  the  land  approaches  were  de- 
fended by  field  and  siege  guns,  and  the  water-front  with  armed  row-galleys  and  brigs. 
General  Anthony  Wayne  was  assigned  b}'  General  Greene,  whose  headquarters  were 
at  Charleston,  to  keep  close  watch  on  Savannah,  and  attempt  its  capture  by  night. 
Constant  skirmishing  took  place  outside  the  fortifications  between  the  British  and 
Americans.  Colonel  James  Jackson,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  dashed  almost 
to  the  gates  of  the  town  and  picked  off  men  and  horses  from  the  common.  The  end 
was  near.  The  gloom  that  for  nearl}'  seven  years  hung  over  the  Atlantic  Coast 
was  about  to  unfold  and  disclose  the  fair-smiling  Goddess  of  Peace.  The  blood 
that  had  poured  in  streams  from  the  granite  soil  of  Maine  to  the  yielding  sands  of 
Georgia  was  the  blood  cementing  the  colonies  into  national  life  ;  and  from  Georgia, 
youngest  of  the  sisterhood,  long  the  waverer  between  patriotic  and  royal  rule,  came 
the  first  formal  session  of  British  to  American  power.  A  communication  from  Sir 
Guy  Carlton,  dated  New  York,  the  twenty-third  of  May,  1782,  arrived  in  the  royal 
camp  in  Savannah,  ordering  the  evacuation  of  Savannah  and  the  province  of  Georgia, 
greatly  to  the  disappointment  of  Sir  James  Wright.  Negotiations  were  immediately 
opened  between  Sir  James  Wright  and  Governor  Martin,  also  between  Major  Hale, 
representing  the  British  merchants  in  Savannah,  and  General  Wayne,  — the  merchants 


66 


HISTOIUC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


eager  to  know  what  protection  would  be  accorded  the  property  of  Biitish  residents 
upon  the  evacuation  of  the  troops.  General  Vfayne's  conditions  were  such  that 
many  decided  to  remain  and  pursue  their  mercantile  calling.  July  eleventh,  1782, 
witnessed  the  last  day  of  royal  rule  in  Georgia.  By  two  o'clock  the  British  troops 
had  evacuated  the  town,  and  General  Wayne  was  in  possession.  To  Colonel  James 
Jackson  was  accoi'ded  the  honor  of  receiving  the  keys  of  the  town,  in  token  of  the 
"  severe  and  fatiguing "  service  he  had  endui'ed  in  the  advance  upon  Savannah. 
After  three  years,  six  months,  and  three  days  of  royal  rule,  Savannah  was  restored 
to  her  own, —  little  more  than  a  military  post,  crippled  and  dismantled  by  the  out- 
going garrison  ;  liut  the  germs  oi"  a  new  era  were  there,  —  an  era  of  prosperity  not  yet 
witnessed  within  her  precincts.  Colonel  James  Jackson  and  Major  John  Habersham 
were  left  in  military  charge  of  Savannah,  while  General  AVayne  with  his  forces 
joined  General  Greene  in  South  Carolina,  receiving  words  of  commendation  from 
General  Greene  regarding  the  field  about  Savannah  :  "I  think  you  have  conducted 
your  command  wnth  great  prudence,  and  with  astonishing  perseverance ;  and  in  so 
doing,  you  have  fully  answered  the  high  expectations  I  ever  entertained  of  your 
military  abilities  from  our  earliest  acquaintance."^  The  military  occupation  was 
shortly  followed  by  the  Executive  Council.  The  Legislature  convened  to  approve  the 
agreement  between  Sir  James  Wright  and  Governor  Martin.  The  channels  of 
public  life  were  once  more  open.  Courts  of  justice  were  re-opened;  schools  and 
churches  received  encouragement ;  terms  were  prescribed  by  which  the  disaffected 
were  admitted  to  the  privileges  of  townsmen.  General  Wayne  favored  lenient 
measures,  foreseeing  the  advantage  of  retaining  merchants  within  the  town.  The 
town  enlarged  its  limits.  A  number  of  wards  and  streets  bear  testimony  to  their 
post-revolutionary  birth,  hy  the  names  of  famous  generals,  national  as  well  as  local 
heroes,  commemorated.  Some  were  changed ;  President  was  once  King  street, 
and  Congress,  Queen  street,  a  touch  of  prejudice  in  those  early  patriots  that  makes 
them  very  human.  The  flavor  of  royalty  imparted  by  the  mere  utterance  of  King  or 
Queen  street  was  distasteful  to  republican  ears.  We  smile  now,  after  the  lapse  of 
years,  at  this  little  weakness  ;  but  we  would  not  have  you  otherwise,  staunch  de- 
fenders of  our  country,  than  the  sturdy  prejudiced  patriots  that  you  were.  By 
degrees,  Montgomery,  Jefferson,  Lincoln,  Houstoun,  State,  and  President  streets 
were  added ;  also  the  wards  Columl)ia,  Elbert,  Franklin,  Greene,  Jasper,  Liberty, 


'  Life  of  Genei'iil  Nathaniel  Greene. 


HISTOn/C  AND    FlCniRESQUE  SAVANNAH 


67 


Pulaski,  AYuiTen,  and  ^^'ashill^•toll.  A  tiiu;  muster-roll  of  heroes  with  which  to 
gratify  the  imagination's  love  of  stirring  deeds. 

Three  weeks  after  Evacuation  day,  a  special  session  of  the  kState  Legislature 
was  called  by  Governor  Martin  to  meet  in  the  house  of  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh, 
on  the  north  side  of  South  Broad  street,  the  third  door  east  of  Drayton  street,  now 
the  home  of  John  D. 
Robinson,  Esq.  Till 
wnthin  a  few  years  it 
preserved  its  ori- 
ginal aspect.  Per- 
haps around  no  other 
house  in  Savannah 
clusters  a  greater  va- 
riety of  interests, — 
memories  of  the  earl}' 
colonial  times,  linked 
with  the  legislative 
acts  of  the  embrj^- 
onic  State  ;  for  tradi- 
tion says  that  it  is  the  oldest 
brick  house  in  Savannah,  the 
bricks  for  the  purpose  brought 
from  England,  though  no  date 
can  be  assigned  for  its  building.  Great  must 
have  been  the  satisfaction  of  the  owner,  and 
the  townspeople  as  well,  when  the  substantial 
structure  aro^e  in  the  lightly-built  wooden  town, 
homes  in  Old  England.  It  doubtless  lent  new  dignity  to  the  crude  settlement, 
transplanted,  as  it  were,  from  the  old  country  to  the  new.  Little  has  been 
recorded  of  this  house,  occupied  as  a  public  house  before  the  Revolution  by  a 
son  of  John  Eppinger,  no  other  mention  is  made  till  this  fact,  —  that  the  State 
Legislature  met  in  the  house  of  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh.  Whether  he  bought 
the  house  from  Eppinger's  son,  or  from  w^hom,  it  is  not  known  ;  or  whether  he 
claimed  it  by  the  rights  of  possession,  after  the  disorganized  times  of  the  Revolution, 
must  be  left  to  conjecture.    A  trifling  circumstance  rather  favors  this  latter  view, 


a  reminder  of  the  parent 


68 


HISTORIC 


AND  PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


for  in  the  "Georgia  Gazette"  of  January  sixth.  1784,  is  seen  this  advertisement: 
"To  be  sold  or  leased  for  a  number  of  years,  General  Mcintosh's  large  House  in  St. 
James  Square,  fronting  the  Government  House."  This  Government  House  was  Sir 
James  Wright's  residence,  on  the  site  of  the  Telfair  Academy.  The  room  in  v^hich 
the  Legislature  met  was  known  as  "  Eppinger's  Long  room,"  and  it  remained  the  pop- 
ular choice  for  balls  and  public  meetings  for  many  a  day  ;  also,  divine  service  was 
held  there.  Linking  the  house  with  the  early  settlement  and  the  events  of  later 
growth,  subsequent  to  the  Revolution,  suggests  an  incident  in  the  life  of  its  one-time 
occupant,  General  Mcintosh,  that  spans  the  years  from  Oglethorpe  to  the  Revolution. 
William  and  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  sons  of  the  brave  Captain  John  Moore  Mcintosh, 
whose  life  was  shortened  by  the  privations  of  prison  life  under  the  Spanish,  were 
attached  to  the  English  regiment  as  cadets  by  Oglethorpe,  with  the  intention  of  ob- 
taining commissions  for  them  in  due  time.  Learninsf  of  a  rising  in  their  native 
Highlands  in  behalf  of  the  Pretender,  the  impetuous  youths  decided  to  return  to 
Scotland  and  retrieve  the  fortunes  of  their  fallen  house  under  the  standard  of  Charles 
Edward.  For  this  purpose  they  concealed  themselves  in  a  vessel  soon  to  accompany 
the  "  Success  "  to  England,  the  ship  in  which  Oglethorpe  tinally  returned  to  England 
in  1743.  On  the  eve  of  departure  they  Avere  discovered  and  brought  before  Ogle- 
thorpe, who  endeav(jred  to  show  them  the  rashness  of  their  plan.  Failing  with  per- 
suasion, he  reminded  them  that,  as  an  officer  of  the  reigning  House  in  England,  it 
was  his  duty  to  arrest  them,  but,  out  of  consideration  for  their  father  and  their  ex- 
treme youth,  he  would  permit  them  to  go  free,  would  overlook  the  circumstance,  and 
allow  them  to  keep  their  own  secret  upon  a  promise  gi^-en  never  again  to  entertain 
the  thoughts  of  so  rash  a  project.  Conquered  by  his  leniency  and  generosity,  they 
promised,  bade  good-by  to  Oglethorpe,  whom  they  never  again  saw,  and  returned 
to  the  land  that  was,  in  years  to  come,  to  rank  both  of  them  among  her  patriot  sons. 
Upon  so  slight  a  thread  hung  the  after-life  of  brilliant  deeds  recorded  to  General 
Mcintosh,  in  whose  house  assembled  the  first  Legislature  of  the  impoverished, 
but  free  State  of  Georgia.  Once,  blinded  by  the  flash  of  glory,  he  meditated  a' 
career  that  would  have  ended  in  defeat  and  misfortune.  Misfortune,  in  the  form  of 
misrepresentation,  did  dog  his  footsteps  in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  but  the  laurel  fell 
to  him,  no  less  deserved  because  detraction  sought  to  wrest  it  from  him. 

Down  on  the  west  side  of  West  Broad  street,  about  opposite  St.  Julian  street, 
now  stands  an  old  house,  the  only  one  known  to  bear  a  mark  of  the  siege  of  1779. 
The  wooden  part  of  the  house  is  two  stories  high  on  a  brick  basement  in  the  front, 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


69 


as  it  now  stands,  and  just  about  on  a  level  with  the  floor  of  the  second  story  there  is 
a  hole  in  the  weather-boarding  six  inches  across.  This  was  made  by  a  ball  from  an 
American  or  French  cannon,  tradition  says,  on  the  last  day  of  the  siege.  At  that 
time  the  house  stood  on  Trinity  Church  site,  the  west  side  of  Telfair  i)lace.  It  be- 
longed to  the  Sheftall  family,  and  was  probably  built  by  one  of  them.  Its  age  is  not 
known,  but  it  must  be  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  All  of  the  wood  in 
the  house  was  hewed  or  sawed  with  a  small  handsaw  —  then  there  were  no  large 
saws  in  the  country.  The  nails  are  hand-made  and  strong,  and  the  pine  has  become 
so  hard  it  is  almost  impossible  to  drive  a  nail  into  it.  It  would  easily  knock  off  the 
edge  of  a  saw.  Its  present  owner,  Mr.  A.  Kent,  whose  grandfather  bought  it  and 
moved  into  it  where  it  now  stands,  thirty  or  more  years  ago,  says  that  he  once 
started  to  put  on  a  new  piece  of  weather-boarding  to  hide  the  hole,  but  that  his 
grandfather,  Mr.  Ezra  Kent,  prevented  him.  The  "gaping  souvenir"  remains 
untouched.  Let  it  remain  so  till  the  remorseless  hand  of  Progress  levels  those  well- 
seasoned  timbers.  Then  let  that  historic  plank  be  carefully  treasured  among  the  few 
relics  of  that  by-gone  day. 

A  perusal  of  the  columns  of  the  one  paper  published  at  that  time  in 
Georgia  gives  an  inside  glimpse  of  town  life.  This  paper,  the  "Georgia  Gazette," 
which  made  its  weekly  appearance  on  a  Thursday,  was  no  doubt  welcomed  with 
the  same  avidity  that  characterizes  the  present  newspaper  age,  with  this  difference, 
that  no  sheet  fresh  with  pi-inter's  ink  was  served  to  those  worthy  fathers  over 
their  hot  rolls  and  coffee.  Upon  a  Thursday  morning,  their  first  walk  was 
towards  the  printing-office  of  James  Johnston,  on  Broughton  street.  There  they 
found  the  weekly  feast  of  news,  and  we'll  warrant  that  the  business,  be  it  of 
merchant,  lawyer,  or  clerk,  waited  till  each  column  of  the  "Gazette"  was  care- 
fully scanned.  Should  any  one  be  inclined  to  think  that  advertising  is  a  product  of 
late  civilization,  let  him  peruse  the  columns  of  a  last  century's  "Gazette."  Here 
is  an  advertisement  that  puts  to  shame  the  modest  four-line  effusions  of  the  present 
day.    Brains  were  as  nimble  then  as  now. 

Cloths  middling,  coarse,  and  superfine, 

Figs,  raisins,  sugar  candy,  ' 

Sago  and  rice,  pei)i)er.  allspice, 
Madeira,  wine  and  brandy. 


70 


EISTOmC 


AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Good  conhiroy  for  men  and  boj-s, 

Excellent  Irish  linen  ; 
Jeans,  and  jeanets,  and  velverets, 

And  cloth  of  Joan's  spinning. 

Cloves,  ginger,  prunes,  and  silver  spoons, 
Hoth  wax  and  tallow  candles ; 

Bottles  and  corks,  and  knives  and  forks, 
With  horn  and  ivory  handles. 

Starch,  mustard,  snuff,  all  cheap  enough. 
Gloves,  ribbons,  gauze,  and  laces. 

Good  Castile  soap,  all  kimls  of  rope, 
Bed  cords,  plotigh-lines,  and  traces. 

Brass  warming-pans  and  ladies'  fans, 
Queen's  ware  and  pewter  plates ; 

Plalf-gallon  jugs  and  earthen  mugs, 
Assorted  well  in  crates. 

Neat  coverlids  for  feather  beds, 

.'Vnd  clarified  honey ; 
Good  calicoes  and  cotton  hose, 

All  cheap  for  ready  money. 

Sweet  Muscadine  and  Fayal  wine, 

Vehetian  red  and  umber. 
Brass  curtain  rings,  and  many  things 

Too  tedious  here  to  immber. 


Could  any  country  store  of  the  present  day  present  a  better  advertisement  ? 

The  luxury  of  fine  boots  and  shoes  was  indulged  in,  according  to  the  advertise- 
ment of  "John  Milne  Boot  and  Shoe  Maker  from  London,  late  Foreman  to  Mr. 
Rhymer,  Bootmaker  to  the  Prince  of  Wales."  "Begs  leave  to  acquaint  the  publick 
that  he  intends  to  follow  his  said  business  in  Savannah  opposite  the  Attorney  Gene- 
ral's in  Broughton  Street.  He  has  a  large  assortment  of  Ladies'  silk  Morocco  and 
stuff,  shoes  and  Gentlemen's  Ijoots  and  shoes,  to  be  sold  on  the  most  reasonable 
terms,  commissions  from  the  country  carefully  obliged." 

French  fashions  had  already  invaded  the  settlements  of  the  American  continent, 
and  had  gained  a  firm  hold  upon  the  feminine  mind.  The  women  of  the  nineteenth 
century  but  follow  in  the  beaten  path  of  "  ye  ladyes  of  ye  olden  tyme  "  when  they 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


71 


look  to  Paris  for  enlightenment  upon  the  reigning  feshion,  for  in  the  "  Georgia 
Gazette"  of  June  third,  1784,  is  an  advertisement  that  doubtless  ])rought  many  a 
fair  matron  to  inspect  the  dainty  wares  ;  possibly  a  number  of  young  misses  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  so  seductively  held  out  to  learn  that  language  of 
court  and  love.  "  Mary  Gobert  from  France  takes  this  method  to  accjuaint  the  pub- 
lick  that  she  has  undertaken  the  Millinery  Business  being  perfectly  acquainted  with 
the  newest  fashions ;  also  the  whitening  silk,  laces,  stockings,  gauze  etc.  and  clear 
starches,  thread  laces,  gauze  etc.  etc.  She  has  to  dispose  of  the  following  articles 
viz.  laces  gauzes,  ribbons,  flowers,  women's  hats,  fans,  all  sorts  of  stockings,  cotton 
caps  scented  hair  powder  and  starch.  She  will  also  take  the  charge  of  a  few  young 
Ladies,  to  learn  them  the  French  language,  and  all  soi"ts  of  needle  work.  She  lives 
in  a  house  of  formerly  Mrs.  Mingar,  near  General  Mcintosh's."  A  school  was  held 
at  this  time  in  the  parsonage  house  for  lioys  alone,  but  it  soon  was  allowed  to 
include  girls.  The  fine  arts  were  not  neglected,  for  not  only  was  portrait-painting  in 
miniature  found  among  the  advertisements  of  the  day,  but  in  the  "  Gazette  "  of  Feb- 
ruary tenth,  1785,  is  the  following:  "Music  hath  charms  etc,  Mr.  Hewill,  who  has 
had  the  honour  dux'ing  the  late  war  to  serve  as  inspector  of  Musick  in  the  American 
army,  begs  leave  to  inform  the  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  this  town  that  he  proposes 
opening  a  Musick  School  at  Mr  Smith  Clarendon's  opposite  the  New  Inn  provided 
he  can  get  a  sufficient  number  of  scholars,  to  make  it  worth  his  while.  He  teaches 
the  Clarinet,  German  flute,  Hautboy,  French  horn.  Concert  fife  Basson,  Tenoroon, 
Guitar  etc.  N.B. 

"Ladies  will  be  waited  on  at  their  own  homes  if  required." 

Another  advertisement  catches  the  eye  :  "  For  Sale  —  A  Fine  toned  Forte  Piano, 
with  three  stops,  books  of  instruction  and  Musick  for  the  same.  Cash  or  rice  will 
be  taken  in  payment.    Inquire  of  the  Printer." 

Post  stages,  in  1786,  ran  between  Savannah  and  Charleston  three  times  a  week, 
leaving  Savannah  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Fridays  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  arriving  in  Charleston  at  seven  the  next  morning.  The  passage  was 
secured  at  Thompson's  Hotel,  each  way,  for  fifty  shillings. 

A  gala  day  was  held  on  March  third,  1784,  in  Savannah,  in  honor  of  the  defini- 
tive treaty  of  peace  between  America  and  England.  The  following  account  is  taken 
from  the  "Gazette"  of  Thursday,  March  fourth,  1784:  — 

Last  Thursday,  the  Honourable  the  House  of  Assembly  of  this  State,  adjourned  to  the  first 
Monday  in  July  next,  then  to  meet  in  Augusta.    The  Proclamation  of  Congress  containing  their 


72 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Ratification  of  the  Definitive  Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  Great 
Britain,  having  been  received  by  his  Honour  the  Governor  the  same  was  yesterday  duly  proclaimed 
in  form,  in  this  town.  The  Militia  of  Savannah  and  its  vicinity  were  paraded  on  the  occasion,  and 
after  being  reviewed  by  His  Honour  the  Governor  attended  with  the  Members  of  Council,  and  a 
number  of  other  Gentlemen,  were  marched  to  the  East  Green,  where  a  barbecue  being-  jirepared  for 
the  Militia,  they  spent  the  daj-  \\ith  tliat  mirth  and  festivity  ^vhich  so  joyous  an  event  naturally 
inspired.  The  Governor  and  Council,  the  Speaker  and  Members  of  the  Assembly,  the  Chief  Justice 
and  Assistant  Justices,  the  Honourable,  the  Delegates  to  Congress,  the  Civil  Ofiicers  of  the  State, 
the  Officers  of  the  Military  and  Navj',  several  gentlemen  of  the  Clergj%  Law  and  Physick,  a  number 
of  Citizens,  Captains  of  vessels  and  strangers  dined  together  at  the  Savannah  Tavern,  where  the 
following  toasts,  (with  a  number  of  others  suitable  to  the  occasion)  were  di'ank: 

1.  May  the  Definitive  Treaty  of  Peace  be  perpetual  and  productive  of  liberty  and  univei'sal 
benevolence. 

2.  The  United  States  nn  Congress  assembled. 

3.  The  State  of  Geoi'gia. 

4.  Our  Magnanimous,  illustrious  friend  Louis  XVI. 

5.  The  States  of  Europe  which  have  demonstrated  their  fi-iendship  to  our  Sovereignty  and 
Independence. 

6.  General  Washington. 

7.  The  American  ^Ministers  at  Foreign  Courts. 

8.  Integrity  and  Firmness  to  the  Governors  and  Magistrates  of  the  Respective  States. 

9.  The  immortal  remembrance  of  the  great  and  heroick  characters  who  have  sacrificed  their 
lives  for  the  liberties  of  their  Country. 

10.  Relief  to  all  our  friends  who  have  suffered  by  the  calamities  of  war. 

11.  May  the  efforts  and  sufferings  of  the  brave  defenders  of  their  Country  never  be  forgotten. 

12.  The  friends  of  Virtue  and  Freedom  throughout  the  Globe. 

13.  Uninterrupted  Commerce  and  a  truly  respectable  American  Navy. 

Each  toast  was  accompanied  with  a  discharge  of  cannon.  The  evening  concluded  with  illu- 
minations and  bonfii"es  and  the  whole  of  the  rejoicings  were  remarkably  distinguished  with  decorum 
and  propriety  of  conduct. 

The  July  Legislature  of  1782  distinguished  itself  by  acts  of  generosity  to 
Colonel  James  Jackson,  General  Anthony  Wayne,  and  General  Nathaniel  Greene  in 
appreciation  of  their  valuable  services  to  Georgia.  To  Colonel  James  Jackson  was 
granted  the  house  in  Savannah  formerly  belonging  to  Mr.  Tattnall.  It  stood  upon 
the  eastern  half  of  the  trust  lot  facing  Oglethorpe  square  on  the  east,  where  now  stands 
a  row  of  brick  houses.  The  confiscated  estate  of  Alexander  Wright,  consisting  of 
eight  hundred  and  forty  acres,  now  a  portion  of  the  Richmond  and  Kew  plantation, 
was  granted  to  General  Anthony  Wayne,  a  general  noted  during  the  Revolution  for 
his  daring  hair-breadth  escapes.    Of  him  it  is  related  that  when  discussing  with 


HISTORIC  AND 


FICTURESQUE 


BA  VANNAH 


73 


Washington  the  practicability  of  storming  "  Stony  Point,"  on  the  Hudson,  in  the 
possession  of  the  British,  he  exclaimed,  "  General,  if  you  will  only  plan  it,  I  will 

storm  H  ."    The  Georgia  gift  of  land  proved  an  unfortunate  one,  for  a  valuable 

patrimonial  property  in  Pennsylvania,  his  native  State,  claimed  a  share  of  his  atten- 
tion and  fortune.  In  his  endeavor  to  cultivate  the  two  estates,  he  became  financially 
embarrassed ;  ultimately,  to  save  the  patrimonial  estate,  the  Georgia  property  was 
sacrificed  in  1791. 

To  Major-General  Nathaniel  Greene  was  granted  the  confiscated  estate  of  the 
late  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Georgia,  John  Graham,  probably  the  heaviest  confisca- 
tion made  by  Georgia  after  the  Revolution,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  estimating  the 
estate  worth  fifty  thousand  pounds.  There,  on  that  beautiful  plantation,  appropriately 
called  "Mulberry  Grove,"  fourteen  miles  above  the  town,  within  Chatham  County, 
General  Greene  retired  with  his  family,  to  enjoy  the  seclusion  and  delights  of  a 
home, — the  lull  after  the  storm  of  war, — a  home  preferred  in  the  land  of  his  mili- 
tary triumphs  to  one  in  his  native  State,  Rhode  Island.  He  wrote  from  "Mulberry 
Grove,"  not  long  after  his  arrival :  "We  found  the  house,  situation,  and  out-buildings 
more  convenient  and  pleasing  than  we  expected.  The  prospect  is  delightful,  and 
the  house  magnificent;  the  garden  is  in  ruins,  but  there  are  still  a  great  variety  of 
shrubs  and  flowers  in  it."  The  devastations  of  war  had  penetrated  that  secluded 
spot,  sparing,  however,  the  house,  of  whose  magnificence  General  Greene  bears  tes- 
timony. Said  his  grandson,  "This  was  the  happiest  period  of  his  life,  the  months 
of  purest  enjoyment  that  he  ever  passed  ;  they  were  destined  to  be  the  last."  Short- 
lived was  his  career,  but  his  fame  ranks  him  next  to  Washington  in  the  military 
galaxy.  His  death,  in  June,  1786,  was  caused  hy  exposure  to  the  sun  in  attending 
to  the  laying  out  and  cultivating  of  the  gardens  and  grounds  he  loved  so  well.  Two 
of  his  military  companions  wei-e  with  him.  General  Wayne  and  Captain  Pendleton,  a 
former  aid. 

Once  again  in  Savannah's  history,  in  the  dawn  of  a  new  era,  were  the  remains 
of  a  beloved  chieftain  borne  in  a  barge  to  the  town,  where  universal  emblems  of 
mourning  bore  witness  to  the  greatness  of  the  loss.  The  memory  of  that  earlier, 
rude  procession,  but  none  the  less  sorrowful,  could  not  have  faded  from  the  minds 
of  some  present,  attendants  upon  Tomo-chi-chi's  burial. 

The  remains  "  lay  in  state "  in  the  house  of  his  friend.  Captain  Pendleton. 
We  quote  from  the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  of  the  day  :  — 


74 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


On  Monday  last,  the  nineteenth  day  of  June  1786,  died  at  his  seat  near  Savannah,  Nathaniel 
Greene  Esq.  late  Major  General  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States;  and  on  Tuesday  morning  his 
remains  were  brought  to  town  to  l)e  interred. 

The  melancholy  account  of  his  death  was  made  known  by  the  discharge  of  minute  guns  from 
Foi't  Wayne ;  the  shipping  in  the  harbour  had  their  colours  half-masted ;  the  shops  and  stores  in 
the  town  were  shut ;  and  every  class  of  citizens,  suspending  their  ordinary  occupations,  united  in 
giving  testimonies  of  deej^est  sorrow. 

The  several  military  corps  of  the  town,  and  a  great  part  of  the  Militia  of  Chatham  County, 
attended  the  funeral,  and  moved  in  the  following  procession. 

The  Corps  of  Artillery. 
The  Light  Infantry. 
The  Militia  of  Chatham  County. 
Clei'gymen  and  Ph3rsicians. 
Band  of  Music. 
The  Corpse  and  Pall-Bearers, 
Escorted  on  Each  Side  by  a  Con^)any  of  Dragoons. 
The  Principal  Mourners. 
The  ^Members  of  the  Cincinnati  as  Mourners. 
The  Speaker  of  the  Assembly, 
And  other  Civil  Officers  of  the  State. 
Citizens  and  Strangers. 

About  five  o'clock  the  whole  i^roceeded,  the  Music  playing  the  Dead  March  in  Saul,  and  the 
Artillei'y  firing  minute  guns  as  it  advanced.  When  the  Military  reached  the  vault  in  which  the 
body  was  to  be  entombed,  they  opened  to  the  right  and  left,  and,  resting  on  reversed  arms,  let  it 
pass  through.  The  funeral  ser\ace  being  performed,  and  the  corpse  deposited,  thirteen  discharges 
from  the  artillery,  and  three  fi"om  the  musketry,  closed  the  scene.  Tlie  whole  was  conducted  with 
a  solemnity  suitable  to  the  occasion. 

The  body  was  laid  in  the  vault  belonging  to  the  Mulberry  Grove  estate,  for 
at  the  time  of  General  Greene's  death  the  impression  prevailed  in  his  family  that 
the  vault,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  Mulberry  Grove  property,  had  become  the 
possession  of  General  Greene,  by  presentation  from  the  State  authorities.  Hence 
a  mystery  which  has  baffled  all  unravelling,  save  that  of  conjecture,  to  this  day.  No 
man  knoweth  of  his  sepulchre.  Upon  the  examination  of  the  vault,  some  thirty 
years  after  his  death,  for  the  purpose  of  removing  his  body,  the  coffin  was  found 
missing,  with  that  of  his  son,  the  two  having  been  laid  side  by  side.  That 
startling  discovery  gave  rise  to  various  traditions  concerning  the  fate  of  his  body, 
which  at  different  times  have  ap{)eared  in  print,  all  of  them  erroneous ;  among 


mUTOBIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


75 


others  is  that  found  in  Lee's  "Memoirs.''  Some  time  in  the  seventies  General 
Robert  E.  Lee  visited  the  grave  of  his  father,  "Light  Horse  Harry,"  on  Cumberland 
island.  Upon  his  return  to  Virginia  he  began  writing  his  father's  life,  and  stated 
that  he  died  at  the  house  of  General  Greene's  widow,  in  the  consoling  thought 
that  he  was  to  repose  by  the  side  of  his  illustrious  commander,  General  Greene. 
Touching  picture  that  it  is,  the  warriors  sleeping  side  by  side  in  the  tropical  seclusion 
of  Cumberland  island,  it  must  be  utterly  cast  aside  with  companion  fictions.  But 
it  is  to  the  late  Phineas  M.  Nightingale,  a  grandson  of  General  Greene,  that 
we  are  indebted  for  the  most  trustwoi'thy  version  of  this  distressful  occurrence. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Graham  to  Georgia,  after  the  revolu- 
tion, her  chiim  and  right  to  the  vault  were  established  as  property  not  included  in  the  Act  of  Con- 
fiscation, but  as  no  formal  possession  was  either  given  or  taken,  the  bodies  of  General  Greene  and 
George  Washington  Greene,  his  oldest  son,  were  not  immediately  removed.  George  Washington 
Greene  was  drowned  in  the  ^avannah  river  very  soon  after  his  return  from  France  [probably  in 
1792  or  1793] ,  where  he  had  completed  his  education  under  the  supervision  of  General  Lafayette. 
It  is  known  certainly  that  at  the  time  of  his  interment,  his  coffin  was  placed  by  the  side  of  his 
father's,  in  this  vault;  and  it  is  sujjposed  that  both  thus  fell  into  the  possession  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Graham's  daughter,  when  she  established  her  claim  to  this  portion  of  the  ijroperty.  At 
least  such  is  the  family  belief,  from  the  fact  that  when  the  vault  was  examined  some  years  after, 
for  the  purpose  of  removing  the  body  of  General  Greene,  his  coffin  which  was  certain  of  identifi- 
cation, by  means  of  a  silver  plate  upon  the  lid,  with  his  name,  age,  and  the  date  of  his  death 
engraved  upon  it,  and  also  that  of  his  son,  were  found  to  be  missing,  Avithout  a  trace  of  the  cause,  or 
time  of  their  removal,  or  of  the  place  to  which  they  had  been  taken.  At  the  time  of  this  discovery, 
there  was  no  male  descendant  of  General  Greene  remaining  at  the  South,  and  an  investigation  had 
to  be  postponed  until  years  after  this  fact  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  family.  Most  thorough 
search  has  been  made  without  throwing  any  light  whatever  upon  the  place  of  his  burial.  All  the 
facts  and  circumstances  developed  by  the  investigations,  lead  to  the  belief  that  the  coffins  of  Gen- 
eral Greene  and  his  son  were  secretly  removed  and  purposely  interred  in  some  unknown  spot,  as  an 
act  of  personal  hostility  by  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Graham,  when  the  vault  passed 
again  into  her  hands.  Her  character  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  great  personal  vindictiveness,  and 
under  the  strong  excitement  of  party  feeling  it  may  have  appeared  to  her  a  justifiable  act  of  ven- 
geance, to  place  the  remains  of  those  whom  she  deemed  unjustly  benefited  at  her  expense  beyond 
the  reach  of  further  honors,  in  an  unknown  grave.  This  solution  of  the  mystery,  which  envelops 
General  Greene's  last  resting-place,  though  deemed  the  true  one,  by  those  most  nearly  interested,  is 
only  traditional,  as  all  parties  immediately  connected  with  the  transaction,  had  either  died  or  left  the 
country  and  had  been  lost  sight  of  before  any  thorough  investigation  could  be  accomplished. 

Signed.  P.  M.  NKiHTINGALE. 


76  EISTOBIG  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

The  current  tradition  in  Savannah  agrees  in  general  outline  with  Mr.  Nightin- 
gale's version,  with  a  dramatic  denoiiment,  startling  in  its  cold-bloodedness,  that  the 
bodies  were  removed  at  night  by  negroes,  hired  for  the  purpose,  and  sunk  in  a 
pond  then  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  city.  This  gives  the  "  unknown  spot "  a 
marked  locality.  In  an  old  map  of  the  city,  drawn  in  1818,  when  improvements  did 
not  extend  beyond  Perry  street,  the  pond  appears ;  indeed,  it  is  remembered  by  old 
inhabitants,  "  at  the  intersection  of  a  line  drawni  next  from  Major  Boweii's-  old  Fair 
Lawn  House  and  Jefferson  street  extended.  This  spot  is  built  over  and  filled  up  as 
part  of  a  street,  and  must  be  near  the  intersection  of  Jefferson  and  Wayne  streets, 
or  some  others  of  the  contiguous  streets."  Rather  a  remarkable  fact  is  it,  with  a 
strong  spice  of  romance  attached,  that  in  our  city  two  monuments  rear  their  heads 
heavenward  in  commemoration  of  two  distinguished  officers  of  the  Revolution,  — 
General  Xathaniel  Greene  and  the  Polish  count  Pulaski,  —  both  lying  in  unknown 

g  raves,  the  one 
ruthlessly  torn  from 
his  resting-place 
and  consia:ned  we 
know  not  where,  the 
other  left  undis- 
turbed in  the  sandy 
soil  of  Georgia,  or 
under  the  restless 
roll  of  the  sea,  we 
know  not  which. 
Of  small  moment 
a  r  e  the  low,  un- 
marked graves. 
The  deeds  of  the 
heroes  live  in  his- 
tory. Should  the  memory  of  those  deeds  fade  from  the  minds  of  any,  let  them 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  Savannah,  and  view  those  noble  memorial  shafts.  The  stirring 
scenes  of  Revolutionary  days  will  arise  ;  the  historic  soil  will  again  be  peopled  with 
heroes,  and  Greene  and  Pulaski  will  become  household  words. 

Regarding  Pulaski,  the  more  generally  accepted  opinion  is  that  his  remains 
were  consigned  to  an  ocean  grave,  between  Savannah  and  Charleston ;  but  the 


WASHINGTON'S  HEADQUARTERS. 


HISTOEIG  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


77 


tradition  preserved  in  the  Bowen  family,  from  the  time  of  the  siege  and  Pulaski's 
death  to  the  present  day,  is  worthy  of  deep  consideration.  The  story  is  substan- 
tially this  :  — 

A  short  time  after  the  battle,  the  wounded  man  was  placed  on  a  litter  and  taken 
to  Greenwich,  some  four  miles  distant  from  Savannah,  to  be  placed  on  one  of  the 
vessels  of  the  French  fleet.  The  French  officers  had  taken  quarters  previous  to  the 
siege  in  the  mansion  of  Samuel  Bowen,  then  occupied  by  Mrs.  Samuel  Bowen  and 
her  daughter,  Ann  Elizabeth  Bowen,  a  girl  of  fourteen  years,  who  not  long  after- 
wards married  Dr.  Samuel  Beecroft,  a  surgeon  at  that  time  in  the  British  army. 
Mrs.  Beecroft  witnessed  with  her  mother  the  arrival,  during  the  day  of  battle,  of  a 
litter  containing  a  wounded  man.  He  was  placed  in  a  room  adjoining  theirs,  with  the 
information  that  the  sufferer  was  Count  Pulaski.  He  was  not  the  only  recipient  of 
womanly  care  and  attention  in  that  hospitable  mansion,  for  Count  d'Estaing,  severely 
wounded,  also  became  an  inmate  with  others  of  his  brother  officers,  till  he  was 
enabled  to  join  the  fleet.  Pulaski  lingered  but  a  few  hours.  His  death  occurred  at 
night,  surrounded  by  his  comrades,  exclaiming  in  mournful  lamentation,  "  Pulaski, 
the  beloved  Pulaski  is  no  more  !  "  Anxious  to  join  the  fleet,  his  comrades  deter- 
mined on  an  immediate  burial.  The  servants  of  the  plantation  were  called  into 
service,  and  before  dawn  a  solemn  procession  moved  by  the  flickering  light  of 
torches,  over  the  terraced  way,  through  the  garden-walk  to  a  tree-shadowed  spot. 
Here  Pulaski  was  buried.  A  majestic  palmetto  and  a  glossy-leaved  holly  marked 
the  hallowed  ground.  This  spot  became  a  Mecca  to  members  of  the  Bowen  family. 
Mrs.  Beecroft  herself  kept  the  pathway  clear.  Indeed,  it  became  a  part  of  the 
habitual  care  of  the  premises  to  keep  a  well-ordered  path  of  about  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  house  to  the  orchard-grave. 

The  pen  of  Mrs.  Ann  Elizabeth  Bowen,  the  wife  of  the  late  William  P. 
Bowen,  commemorated  the  event  in  verse.    Of  this  poem  extracts  are  given. 

ON  OLD  GREENWICH  (NOW  GREENWICH  PARK). 

Say,  have  you  lived  within  Savannah's  bounds  ; 

And  heard  not  of  -'Old  Greenwich  Home"  and  grounds? 

Such  sceptics  are  we  now  of  the  place 

In  which  an  honest  ghost  dare  show  his  face. 

This  is  the  liaunted  house,  this  ruined  spot 

Was  on  the  tablet  of  my  childhood's  memory  traced, 


BISTOBIC  AND  PICTVREtiQUE  SAVANNAH 


Like  snatches  of  some  nursery  song  that's  ne'er  forgot, 

Which  neither  joy  or  grief  hath  ere  effaced. 
Yes,  it  is  thus — Old  Time  will  sweep  away 
The  stores  of  knowledge  gained  with  toil  and  care. 
Yet  spare  these  tales  and  songs  — a  feeble  ray 
Our  second  childhood's  dreary  hour  to  cheer. 
And  while  I  gaze  upon  those  crumbling  walls 

In  "  fancy's  glass,".  I  see  the  lady,  pale  and  fair, 
With  robes  of  ghostly  white,  in  stature  tall. 

And  hear  her  heavy  sighs,  and  view  her  flowing  hair. 
Why  doth  she  here  her  nightly  vigil  keep? 

Alas !  grim  death  upon  her  lips  did  set 
His  seal  before  slie  told  them  where  to  seek 

The  orphan's  portion  —  and  she  lingers  yet 
Around  the  hearth  where  buried  lies 
The  golden  ore, — and  utters  piteous  sighs. 
Look  there,  look  there!    Oh,  what  is  that? 
A  little  old  man  in  a  gold-laced  hat, 
With  satin  knee-breeches,  all  so  fine, 
And  with  silver  lace  do  his  vestments  shine 
At  every  step  he  gazes  around 
And  strikes  his  stick  upon  the  ground. 
I  almost  tliink  I  can  hear  him  swear,  — 
Say.  what  brought  that  little  man  here? 

That  tangled  mass  of  briers  and  weeds 
Where  thistle  and  night-shade  drop  their  seeds. 
Was  once  a  garden  of  flowers  rare. 
Cherished  and  reared  hy  that  old  man's  care ; 
"  Home  to  England"  that  little  man  sent 
His  golden  guineas  he  freely  spent. 
Roses  and  myrtles  came  over  the  sea  — 
Above  all  it  gladdened  his  heart  to  see, 
In  his  foreign  home,  fair  England's  pride, 
And  his  "box"  he  loved  more  than  his  bride. 
Can  you  wonder  then  at  his  musty  tone 
When  all  his  box  is  stolen  and  gone? 
He  mutters  and  curses  and  turns  him  about 
And  wishes  each  rascal  had  his  gout. 

'Tis  here  the  unearthly  sentinel  with  measured  tread 
And  folded  arms,  night  after  night  is  seen. 
This  guard  to  keep  over  the  hero's  head 
Who  still  reposes  'neath  this  verdant  green 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


79 


Unknown  to  all, 
Save  those  who  laid  him  in  his  lonely  bed. 
And  now  the  midnight's  balmy  breeze  is  filled 

With  a  sweet,  wild  and  plaintive  strain. 
That  mournful  bugle-note,  with  \nty  thrilled 

The  ear,  and  see,  appears  a  visionary  train ! 

They  come,  they  come  from  their  distant  graves, 

Some  from  the  ocean's  coral  caves. 
They  come  from  each  gory  battle-field 
Where  liberty's  cause  with  their  blood  was  sealed; 
They  have  burst  the  cerements  of  the  tomb 
;  And  come  to  pay  in  this  midnight  gloom 

Funeral  rites  to  the  honored  dead, 
Who,  living,  their  banners  to  victory  led. 

That  poet,  whose  words  find  a  responsive  echo  in  all  hearts,  the  beloved  Long- 
fellow, found  a  theme  for  song  in  an  incident  in  Pulaski's  life,  —  the  presentation  of 
a  banner  to  Pulaski  by  the  Moravian  nuns  of  Bethlehem.  This  banner,  borne  in 
his  last  charge,  was  for  the  first  time  trailed  in  the  dust  by  Pulaski's  fall.  To-day 
it  is  to  be  seen  in  Baltimore. 

Mulberry  Grove  remained  in  the  Greene  family  until  1800.  There,  in  1792  or 
1793,  Eli  Whitney,  the  inventor  of  the  cotton-gin,  a  guest  of  General  Greene's 
widow,  planned  and  constructed  his  first  machine.  There  also  was  T\'^ashington 
entertained  during  his  memorable  visit  to  Georgia.  The  old  mansion  remained 
standing  until  1864,  when  it  was  destroyed  hy  General  Sherman's  army. 


CHAPTER  Y. 


SCARCELY  had  the  echoes  of  the  Revolution  died  away,  when  the  military 
spirit,  ever  a  second  nature  to  Savannah's  sons,  asserted  itself  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  Chatham  Artillery,  that  "  dextrous  company  of  artillery,"  to-day  represent- 
ing the  oldest  military  organization  in  the  State.  Organized  on  May  first,  1786, 
the  initial  act  of  this  company,  destined  to  pay  similar  honors  to  many  heroic  dead, 
was  the  soldier's  tribute  of  respect  to  General  Nathaniel  Greene.  In  July  of  the 
same  year  the  company  joined  in  the  celebration  of  the  Fourth,  according  to  the 
"Georgia  Gazette"  of  the  sixth  of  July,  1786.  , 

Tuesday  last  being  the  Anniversary  of  Independence,  the  Officers  of  the  Chatham  County 
Militia,  and  a  respectable  number  of  Citizens,  dined  together  at  the  Court-House,  when  the  follow- 
mg  toasts  were  drunk  accompanied  by  thirteen  discharges  of  Cannon  from  Captain  Lloyd's  Artillery : 

1.  The  United  States. 

2.  The  State  of  Georgia. 

3.  General  Washington,  or  the  American  fai'mer. 

4.  The  immortal  Memory  of  our  late  virtuous  Fellow  Citizen,  General  Greene. 

5.  The  glorious  Memoiy  of  those  who  fell  in  the  Support  of  American  Independence. 

6.  The  Protector  of  the  Rights  of  Mankind.    Louis  XVI. 

7.  Agriculture  and  Commerce,  and  the  honest  Ploughman  and  Merchant  who  contribute  to 

their  Advancement. 

8.  May  the  Navy  of  America  be  employed  as  the  Scourge  of  Tyrants  and  the  Basis  of  Western 

Freedom. 

9.  May  the  Arts  and  Sciences  of  the  East  find  a  perpetual  Asylum  in  the  free  and  independent 

Regioijs  of  the  West. 

10.  The  glorious  4th  July,  1776. 

11.  The  American  Mothers. 

12.  Harmony  and  Unanimity  to  the  Councils  of  Georgia,  and  Wisdom  and  Respect  to  those  of 

the  Continent. 

13.  Universal  Freedom. 

The  day  was  spent  with  those  demonstrations  of  joy  and  festivity  which  ought  to  mark  the  Era  of 
happiness  and  freedom  to  the  Western  World.    In  the  evening  Captain  Lloyd's  Company  of  Artillery 

(80) 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


81 


exhibited  a  lively  and  striking  scene  of  fireworks,  which  did  honoi-  to  the  abilities  of  the  Captain  and 
his  Company,  and  which  we  are  happy, to  assure  the  Publick  bids  fair  to  be  equal  to  any  Corps  of 
the  kind  in  the  World. 

Extracts  from  an  old  l:>ook  of  Benjamin  Slieftall  will  give  a  glimpse  into  the 
workings  of  the  militia  during  the  years  1787,  1788,  and  1789,  when  Savannah  was 
much  exercised  l)y  fears  of  uprisings  among  the  surrounding  Indians. 

The  "  Regimental  Book,"  oommeucing  twenty-second  of  May,  1787,  by  Benj.  Sheftall,  First 
Lieutenant  of  the  West  Company  of  Savannah  Militia.  Company  Orders.  August  fifteenth,  1787. 
A  Commissioned  Officer  and  one  Sergeant,  Corporal  and  fifteen  Privates  to  Mount  Guard  at  eight 
o'clock  every  night  at  the  Court  House,  and  to  keep  pati'oling  round  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and 
towards  the  Spring  all  night.  The  duty  and  intention  of  the  guard  being  the  protection  of  the  Cit- 
izens, it  is  hojjed  oflicevs  and  privates  will  be  particularly  careful  not  to  offfend  any  person  walking 
the  streets  in  a  peaceable  manner,  but  challenge  with  Decency.  If  the  person  hailed  should  be 
known,  he  or  they  are  to  be  sufi"ered  to  pass  without  further  examination.  Should  any  suspicious 
characters  be  taken  by  patrol,  they  are  to  be  carried  to  the  officer  of  the  guard,  who  will  examine 
and  deal  with  them  as  his  discretion  shall  direct.  Quietness  and  sobriety  are  to  be  carefully  attended 
to  by  officers  and  guard. 

JOSEPH  WELCHER 

Captam  W.  C.  M. 

P.S.    No  person  to  be  hailed  until  nine  o'clock.    No  countersign  — 

REGIMENTAL  ORDERS  FOR  NOVEMBER  TWENTIETH,  1789. 

One  half  of  each  company  will  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning, 
with  ten  days'  provisions.  The  officers  commanding  Companies  will  attend  to  the  arming  of  the 
men  that  are  drafted  in  the  first  division,  and  give  in  a  return  of  the  number  of  the  men,  arms,  and 
ammunition  to  the  Major.  The  Adjutant  will  warn  three  Captains  and  six  Subalterns,  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  march  with  the  men.  Return  of  those  who,  agreeable  to  law  have  furnished 
one  hundred  pounds  of  powder  and  two  hundred  pounds  of  lead  in  lieu  for  Militia  duty,  together 
with  the  I'eceipts  from  their  Captains  and  the  powder  received,  are  also  to  be  made  to  the  Major 
ofl&cers  for  the  divisions  ;  Captains  Rees,  Bullock  and  Mann  ;  First  Lieutenants  Sheftall,  King,  Sim- 
mons and  Maxwell ;  Second  Lieutenants  Sewcer,  Tlieus,  and  Fox.    By  order  of  Colonel  Gunn. 

JUSTUS  H.  SCIIEUBER 

Adjutant. 

CAPTAIN  WELCHER. 

Lieutenant  Sheftall  will  proceed  fi'om  this  to  Ogeechee,  and  take  post  for  the  evening  at 
Colonel  Gunn's,  Doctor  McLeod's  or  Mrs  Read's  plantation.  The  specific  supplies  are  at  Doctor 
McLeod's  barn.  Should  the  Commissaiy  not  be  with  the  detachment  by  tomorrow  morning,  Mr. 
Sheftall  will  take  a  ban-el  of  rice  from  the  supplies  of  the  barn,  giving  the  Doctor's  overseer  a 
receipt,  and  for  beef  he  must  in  that  case  take  one  from  the  woods  or  pastures  most  convenient  to 


82 


ElHTOlilC  AND 


FWTUltESQUE 


tiA  VANNAH 


his  post,  which  must  be  as  close  to  Fort  Argyle  as  possible.  The  law  must  be  attended  to.  No  cit- 
izen disturbed  in  person  or  property,  and  no  more  than  the  common  rations.  A  quart  of  rice,  and  a 
poimd  and  a  half  of  beef,  a  pound  of  pork  delivered  out,  keeping  the  most  exact  account.  The 
officer  being  resi^onsible,  it  is  hoped  this  will  be  i>artieularly  attended  to.  Mr.  Sheftall  previous  to 
taking  beef,  will  make  every  application  to  procvu-e  it  from  tiie  inhabitants,  who  by  law  will  be  al- 
lowed in  discount  of  the  specific  tax,  what  they  advance  him,  and  only  in  the  last  case,  where  his 
men  are  really  pinched,  proceed  to  jjress.  If  he  should  be  joined  tomorrow  by  a  sufficient  number, 
Mr.  Sheftall  will  endeavor  to  keep  a  scout  over  the  Ogeechee.  I  shall  be  with  him  by  Tuesday 
Morning. 

JAMES  JACKSON 
Brigadier  General  First  District. 

Town  of  Savannah,  February  seventeenth,  1788. 

In  addition  to  the  orders  already  given  you,  I  have  to  particularly  request  that  you  will  furnish 
me  with  eveiy  information.  I  should  have  been  out  in  the  morning,  but  for  some  recent  information 
which  again  requires  my  stay.  Keep  a  scout  up  and  down  from  Fort  Argyle.  Foot  can  do  that,  as 
well  as  horse.  Borrow  a  bushel  or  two  of  rice,  until  INIajor  Brice  comes  out.  I  am.  Sir,  etc. 
et  cetera. 

JAMES  JACKSON. 

Lieutenant  Sheftall  Commanding  Chatham  Detachment  at  Fort  Argyle. 

Sir,  I  have  sent  to  inform  you  that  fresh  signs  of  the  Indians  were  discovered  yesterday  up 
Conunchee,  about  ten  miles  above  you,  so  that  you  had  best  keep  a  good  look  out  and  keej)  your- 
selves in  the  best  of  order  for  an  attack,  for  no  one  knows  from  what  quarter  they  may  fall  on  you. 

Humble  Servant 

LUKE  MANN 

Captain. 

March  first  1788. 

To  Lieutenant  Sheftall  —  Fort  Argyle. 

The  military  spirit  was  not  alone  embodied  in  organization ;  charities  and 
education  received  new  impetus  and  new  blood.  The  town,  late  a  wreck  of  war,  — 
of  fallen  timber,  —  rose  superior  to  itself.  Great  were  the  obstacles  of  growth,  but 
the  people  displayed  superb  energy.  Old  firms  established  themselves,  new  ones 
arose,  trade  between  neighboring  ports  was  opened.  That  spirit  —  a  common 
heritage  of  Americans  —  which  arises  triumphant  from  its  dead  self  was  not 
lacking  in  Savannah.  In  1786,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  the  "  Union  Society  " 
became  a  corporation. 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  workings  of  the  society,  owing  to  the  destruction 
of  the  records  by  the  British  in  1782. 

The  first  mention  of  St.  George's  Society,  under  its  new  name  of  the  "  Union 
Society,"  appears  in  the  "Georgia  Gazette"  of  December  twenty-first,  1774,  —  a 


ETSTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


83 


change  due  either  to  the  prevailing  agitation  of  patriotic  sentiment,  or  to  a  desire 
to  broaden  the  workings  of  the  society.  Among  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Revolution, 
the  society  as  an  organization  had  a  remarkable  experience.  Upon  the  capture 
of  Savannah  l)y  the  British,  in  1778,  a  number  of  citizens  were  taken  prisoners 
and  placed  in  prison-ships  ;  among  them  were  four  members  of  the  Union  Society. 
These  were  sent  under  parole  to  Sunbury,  on  the  coast.  Here,  for  three  years, 
did  the  four  members  —  Mordecai  Sheftall,  John  Martin,  John  Stirk,  and  Josiah 
Powell  —  hold  their  meetings  and  observe  the  anniversaries  of  their  society  under  a 
large  oak-tree,  at  the  first  meeting  adopting  the  following  resolutions  :  — 

B}'  the  unhappy  fate  of  war,  the  Members  of  the  Union  Society  are  some  made  captives,  others 
driven  from  the  State,  and  by  one  of  the  rules  of  said  society,  it  is  ordered  and  resolved,  that  so 
long  as  three  members  shall  be  together,  the  Union  Society  shall  exist,  and  there  being  now  four 
members  present,  who  being  desirous  as  much  as  in  them  lies,  notwithstanding  they  are  captives,  to 
continue  so  laudable  an  institution,  have  come  to  the  following  resolve  to  wit :  to  nominate  and 
appoint  officers  for  the  said  Society  for  the  ensuing  year,  as  near  and  as  agreeable  to  the  rules  of  the 
Society  as  they  can  recollect,  the  rules  being  lost  or  mislaid. 

Honor  to  those  four  noble-hearted  men,  who,  with  undaunted  spirit  in  captivity, 
preserved  the 
lines  of  benev- 
olence, as  once 
they  did  in  days 
of  freedom.  At 
one  of  the  meet- 
ings of  the  four 
the  election  of 
officers  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  en- 
tertainment 
provided  by  a 


number  of  British  officers  who  had  ^J^^t'^c^,^^- 
interested  themselves  in  the  proceed-  •^^o-'i./aGKi^rar 
ings.    The  first  toast  was  given  by  a  member  ^^'t^'c's^o 
of  the  society, — the  "Union  Society,"  —  followed 
by  one  to  General  George  Washington,  given  by  a  British  officer 


The  srraceful 


act  won  a  ready  response  from  an  American  officer,  — "  To  the  King  of  Great 


84 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Britain."  A  pleasing  picture  to  dwell  upon  is  this  amiable  scene,  amidst  the 
carnage  and  passion  of  the  two  contending  armies.  Met  together  with  polite 
intent,  enmity  was  lost  sight  of;  as  brother  man  to  brother  man  they  exchanged  the 
compliments  of  social  life  in  generous  rivalry.  So  was  preserved  the  society  which, 
in  1786,  received  its  name  and  charter.  That  earlier  charity,  almost  coeval  with  the 
birth  of  the  colony,  Whitefield's  Orphan  House,  of  Bethesda,  had  a  somewhat  varied 
career. 

In  1750,  while  the  germs  of  .the  Union  Society  lay  dormant  in  St.  George's 
Club,  Whitefield  was  laboring  to  expand  his  orphan  home  into  a  college.  With  his 
accustomed  zeal,  he  endeavored  to  enlist  the  Governor  in  the  project,  but  without 
success. 

Nineteen  years  later  found  him  making  Bethesda  an  academy  of  high  character, 
similar  in  design  to  one  in  Philadelphia.  For  this  purpose  two  wings,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  each,  were  added  to  the  main  building,  and  His  Excellency  the  Gov- 
ei'nor,  Sir  James  Wright,  the  Council,  and  Assembly  were  invited  to  attend  divine 
services  in  the  chapel  of  the  Orphan-House  Academy. 

An  account  is  taken  from  the  "  Georgia  Gazette,"  January  thirty-first,  1770  :  — 

Last  Sunday,  His  Excellency  the  Governor,  Council  and  Assemblj-,  having  been  invited  by  the 
Reverend  George  Whitefield,  attended  divine  service  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Orphan  Home  Academy, 
when  prayers  were  read  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Ellington,  and  a  very  suitable  sermon  was  preached  by 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Whitefield  from  Zechariah,  fourth  chapter,  ninth  and  tenth  verses  to  the  general 
satisfaction  of  his  auditory.  After  divine  service  the  Company  were  very  ijolitely  entertained  with 
a  plentiful  and  handsome  dinner,  and  were  greatly  pleased  to  see  the  useful  improvements  made  in 
the  house  in  so  much  forwardness,  and  the  whole  executed  with  taste  and  in  a  masterly  manner;  and 
being  sensible  of  the  truly  generous  and  disinterested  benefactions  afforded  to  the  province,  through 
his  means,  they  exjjressed  their  gratitude  in  the  most  respectful  terms. 

By  Whitefield's  death,  Bethesda,  the  child  of  his  labor  and  love  for  over  thirty 
years,  passed  to  the  care  of  Lady  Huntingdon,  of  whom  no  more  fitting  description 
can  be  given  than  in  the  graphic  words  of  Whitefield  in  his  will:  "I  will  and 
bequeath  the  Orphan  House  in  Bethesda  and  likewise  all  buildings,  lands,  books 
and  furniture  belonging  thereto,  to  that  lady  elect,  that  Mother  in  Israel,  that  mirror 
of  true  and  undefiled  religion,  the  Right  Honorable  Selina,  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don—  In  case  she  should  be  called  to  enter  upon  her  glorious  rest  before  my 
decease,  to  Honorable  James  Habersham  a  merchant  of  Savannah."  Lady  Hunt- 
ingdon's first  thought  upon  hearing  of  the  bequeathal  to  her  of  Bethesda  was  char- 


HISTOBIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


85 


acteristic  of  her  devotional  nature.  A  day  was  set  apart  for  fasting  and  prayer,  to 
fit  her  for  the  great  responsibility.  The  past  work  of  the  Home  was  carefully 
reviewed  by  Lady  Huntingdon,  but  preparations  were  hardly  begun  to  improve  its 
condition,  when  all  the  buildings  were  destroyed  by  lightning.  Lady  Huntingdon 
contributed  largely  from  her  private  means  to  restore  the  shattered  buildings  and 
make  sufficient  improvements  to  accojnmodate  the  few  pupils  in  attendance.  One 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight,  the  year  which  saw  the  incorporation  of 
Chatham  Academy,  also  witnessed  another  effort  to  make  Bethesda  available.  In 
the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  of  June  third,  1788,  was  published  the  following  notice  :  — 

To  the  public.  Bethesda  College  near  Savannah  instituted  by  the  Reverend  G.  Whitelield 
Chaplain  to  the  Right  Honorable  the  Countess  Dowager  of  Huntingdon,  is  to  be  opened  the  twenty 
fourth  instant  under  the  patronage  of  her  Ladyship,  whose  warm  zeal  to  promote  the  happiness  of 
mankind  in  spreading  religion  and  learning  in  this  state,  is  above  praise,  and  by  whose  authority 
and  appointment,  the  Reverend  David  Phillips,  late  from  England,  anxious  to  carry  her  Ladyship's 
pious  designs  into  the  fullest  execution,  solicits  the  attention  of  such  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  and 
Guardians  of  Youth,  as  are  desirous  of  sending  young  gentlemen  for  instruction  in  every  branch  of 
useful  and  polite  literature,  comprehending,  English  grammatically.  Writing  and  the  use  of 
Figures,  and  every  branch  of  the  Mathematics,  the  use  of  the  Globes,  Latin,  Greek  and  French 
including  Board,  Washing  etc.  in  the  following  terms,  viz.  thirty  guineas  per  annum  for  each 
student  without  distinction  of  age,  or  class  of  education.  Punctuality  is  expected  in  four  quarterly 
payments.  A  line  for  admission  to  the  Reverend  David  Phillips,  Si;perintendent,  or  the  Reverend 
Benjamin  Lindsay',  Rector  of  Christ  Church  Savannah,  Classical  Tutor  of  the  said  College,  will 
have  immediate  attention  from  their  devoted  much  obliged  humble  servant,  David  Phillips.  N.  B 
Every  student  is  expected  to  bring  his  bedding  complete,  which  will  be  returned  on  his  leaving 
college.  Public  Notice  will  be  given  in  the  Gazette  of  this  State  for  the  receiDtion  of  orphan 
children  on  the  original  benevolent  plan,  immediately  on  the  estate  being  productive  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  Trustees  of  the  Academy  of  the  County  of  Chatham,  not  having  it  yet  in  their  power  to 
carry  into  effect  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by  the  Honorable  the  Legislature,  and  being  sensible  of 
the  utility'  of  the  above  design,  do  recommend  to  the  jjarents  and  Guardians  of  youth,  an  attention 
to  encourage  an  institution,  which  has  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  learning.  By  order  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  John  Habersham — Savannah  June  third  1788  —  President  pro  teni. 

A  fact  not  generally  known,  that  Washington  and  Lady  Huntingdon  were 
descended  from  a  common  ancestor,  adds  a  deeper  interest  to  the  life  of  this  noble 
benefactress  to  Bethesda.  For  the  benefit  of  the  curious,  the  line  of  descent  is 
given  :  "Lady  Huntingdon  was  the  daughter  of  Washington  Shirley,  Earl  Ferrers, 
and  granddaughter  of  Sir  Robert  Shirley,  the  grandson  and  heir  of  Lady  Dorothy 
Devereux,  the  youngest  of  the  two  sisters  and  heiresses  of  Robert  Devereux,  last 


86 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Earl  of  Essex,  Queen  Elizabeth's  accomplished  but  unfortunate  favorite.  Lady 
Huntingdon's  grandmother  was  Elizabeth  Washington,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Law- 
rence Washington,  Esq.,  of  Caresden,  in  the  County  of  Wiltshire.  The  latter  was 
the  great-grandfather  of  John  Washington,  who  emigrated  to  America  about  1657, 
from  whom  descended  George  Washington,  the  first  President  of  the  United  States." 
Lady  Huntingdon  presented  her  portrait,  a  full-length  figure  of  heroic  size,  the  work 
of  Sir  Joshua  Eeynolds,  to  the  Orphan  Home  of  Bethesda.  In  1851,  after  due 
repairs  had  been  made  to  the  portrait  in  New  York,  it  was  reshipped  to  Savannah, 
and  with  the  consent  of  the  trustees  of  the  Academy  was  placed  in  the  hall  of  the 
Georgia  Historical  Society.    It  is  now  to  be  seen  in  Hodgson  Hall. 

The  year  1789  was  made  memorable  by  the  incorporation  of  Savannah  as  a 

city. 

And  whereas  by  an  act  of  Assembly  passed  the  tenth  day  of  February  1789,  entitled  an  act  for 
better  regulating  the  town  of  Savannah  and  the  hamlets  thereof.  It  is  therein  enacted,  that  certain 
persons  styled  Wardens  are  to  be  elected  in  the  said  town  annually,  by  the  proprietors  of  lots  or 
houses  who  ai'e  to  elect  from  such  wardens,  a  jjerson  that  is  styled.  President  of  the  board  of 
wardens ;  now  be  it  enacted.  That  the  said  town  of  Savannah  shall  be  known  and  called  by  the 
style  and  name  of  the  city  of  Savannah,  and  that  on  the  first  Monday  in  March  1790,  and  thereafter 
annualh',  the  owners  or  occupiers  of  any  lot  or  house  in  the  said  city  or  hamlets,  shall  under  the 
direction  of  any  two  or  more  justices,  in  the  said  City,  elect  an  alderman  for  each  ward,  mentioned 
in  the  said  act — from  among  the  said  citizens  generally  who  shall  on  the  Monday  following,  after 
the  election  of  such  Aldermen,  clioose  from  their  own  body  a  Mayor,  from  and  after  the  election  of 
such  Aldermen  and  Mayor,  their  style  shall  be.  The  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  Savannah 
and  the  hamlets  thereof,  and  are  hereby  empowered  to  cai'ry  into  execution  tlie  j^ower  intended  by 
the  said  act,  and  shall  be  a  body  politic,  and  corporate  to  have  and  to  use  a  common  seal,  with 
power  to  sue,  and  be  sued,  plead  or  be  impleaded,  and  may  acquire,  have,  hold,  and  enjoy,  real  or 
personal  property  for  the  use  or  benefit  of  the  said  city  and  hamlets. 

The  year  following,  the  Mayor,  with  his  Advisory  Council  of  "  City  Fathers," 
sat  in  session.  Upon  John  Houstoun,  a  son  of  Sir  Patrick  Houstoun,  fell  the  choice 
of  Mayor,  the  chief  executive  of  the  city.  For  past  patriotic  services  to  his  town 
and  State,  John  Houstoun  well  deserved  the  newly  created  honor.  His  name  was 
among  the  four  signed  to  the  first  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  Friends  of  Liberty  within 
the  province.  Again,  he  was  one  of  thi"ee  selected  by  the  Provincial  Congress,  in 
January,  1775,  to  represent  Georgia  in  the  Continental  Congress.  Elected  governor 
on  the  seventeenth  of  January,  1778,  his  name  headed  the  list  as  "  Rebel  Governor," 
appended  to  the  disqualifying  act  passed  by  the  Royal  Assembly  in  Savannah  in 


EIHTORIC 


AND  PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


87 


1780.  The  "  Rebel  Governor"  of  1778  became  the  choice  of  the  liberated  people 
of  1783.  To  him  fell  with  peculiar  satisfaction  the  duty  of  issuing  despatches  from 
Congress  concerning  the  proclamation  of  peace  between  America  and  England.  The 
last  honor  accorded  to  him  by  his  grateful  townsmen  was  that  of  the  mayoralty. 
Let  us  look  at  the  proceedings  of  that  first  meeting  of  the  City  Council. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  FIRST  MINUTES  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL. 

Savannah,  Monday,  eighth  of  March,  1700. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Aldermen  chosen  for  the  city  of  Savannah  and  Hamlets  thereof  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  api^eared  and  took  their  seats. 

Joseph  Habersham  Edward  I^loyd 

John  Honstoun  Joseph  Clay  Jr. 

Samuel  Stirke  Justus  H.  Sheuber 

Matthew  McAlister 

They  then  proceeded  to  elect  a  Mayor  out  of  their  own  body.  When  on  counting  the  Ballots, 
it  appeared  that  John  Houstoun  Esq'  was  elected,  who  having  taken  the  Chair,  the  Board  proceeded 
to  business  having  first  taken  an  oath  similar  to  that  prescribed  for  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of 
Augusta. 

That,  for  the  conducting  of  Business  by  this  Council  the  following  officers  will  be  necessary  — 

a  Treasurer  .        a  Clerk 

a  Constable  a  Scavenger 

a  Clerk  of  the  Market. 

Resolved  that  Council  will  on  Tuesday  next  proceed  to  the  election  of  lit  jjersons  as  such 
officers,  and  that  in  the  mean  time  it  be  notified  to  all  jjersons  desirous  of  being  Candidates,  that 
they  give  in  their  names  to  Joseph  Clay  Esq.  a  member  of  this  Council  who  is  appointed  to  receive 
the  same.  Resolved 

That  Council  will  on  Wednesday  next  week  meet  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  the  salaries  to  be 
allowed  to  the  several  Officers  before  Mentioned.  Resolved 

That  Mr.  McAllister,  Mr.  Lloyd  and  Mr.  Stirke,  be  a  Committee  to  ijrepare  and  lay  before 
Council  a  Draft  of  Rules  to  be  observed  in  the  transaction  of  Business. 
The  Council  adjourned  till  Wednesday  Morning  eleven  o'clock. 
At  the  next  meeting  the  salaries  wei-e  decided  upon  — 
For  treasurer  £45,  besides  legal  fees  ; 

"  City  INLarshal  £30,   "      "  " 

"  Scavenger  £15,        '•     "  " 

"  Clerk,  legal  fees. 


EISTOmC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


THE  GATEWAY  TO  THE  OLD  BRICK  CEMETERY  ON  SOUTH   BROAD  STREET. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


89 


Until  a  proper  seal  could  be  provided,  one  was  used  presented  by  Mr.  Stirke. 
Unfortunately,  no  trace  or  imprint  of  this  seal  has  been  found.  A  brief  glance  may 
novv  be  taken  at  the  modest  little  city,  so  lately  arrived  to  that  dignity.  South 
Broad  street,  with  its  double  row  of  trees,  still  marked  the  southern  limits.  An 
interesting  fragment  of  personal  history  is  attached  to  the  usually  prosaic  act  of 
increasing  the  width  of  a  street.  The  grave  of  the  mother  of  the  eminent  patriot 
Benjamin  Sheftall  lay  within  the  woody  region  of  the  site  of  the  present  Independ- 
ent Presbyterian  churcli.  It  was  then  quite  a  high  ridge  of  land.  In  token  of 
appreciation  of  the  valual)le  services  of  Benjamin  Sheftall,  the  width  of  South  Broad 
street  was  extended  to  include  within  its  space  the  unmarked  place  of  burial  of  his 
mother.  Considerate  act,  that  reflects  a  pleasing  light  upon  those  early  directors 
of  town  afiairs  !  —  it  is  a  refreshing  bit  of  last-century  sentiment  that  falls  upon  this 
business  age  like  early  dew.  To  that  same  people,  (jf  whom  Benjamin  Sheftall  was 
a  noble  representative,  the  early  community  of  Savannah  was  indebted  for  an 
example  of  care  for  its  beloved  dead,  —  the  Jewish  burial-ground  was  the  first 
enclosed  within  Savannah.  Tradition  has  it  that  at  one  of  the  meetings  of  town 
affairs  one  worthy  father  arose  and  said,  "  Shame  be  to  us  !  Our  dead  are  left 
uncared  for.  Well  may  our  Jewish  brethren  point  with  the  finger  of  scorn,  for  their 
dead  have  long  been  within  the  protective  care  of  a  fence."'  Possibly  it  was  in  that 
May  meeting  of  the  city  fathers,  in  1790,  that  this  little  burst  of  eloquence  fell  on 
responsive  ears,  for  the  resolution  was  then  passed,  "  That  Decency  and  Humanity 
demand  that  the  Burying  ground  should  be  inclosed  immediately,  and  we  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  wall  six  feet  high,  with  stone  every  fifteen  feet  would  answer  the 
purpose." 

The  following  act,  passed  at  that  time,  regarding  the  old  brick  cemetery,  is  in- 
teresting, because  it  indicates  the  limits  then  of  the  cemetery,  as  well  as  marks  the 
extension  of  the  privilege  of  burial  to  all  Christian  denominations.  St.  Joseph's 
Infirmary,  formerly  the  Medical  College  of  Savannah,  marks  the  location  of  the 
original  dedication  of  land  for  a  negro  burial-ground  :  — 

Whereas  the  Cemetery  or  public  burial  of  the  parish  of  Christ-Church,  in  the  town  of 
Savannah,  notwithstanding  the  several  additions  which  have,  by  acts  of  the  General  Assembly 
under  the  provisional  government  been  made  thereto,  containing  in  the  whole,  two  himdred 
and  ten  feet  in  width,  and  three  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length,  is  found  too  small  to  answer 
the  purposes  intended.  And  whereas,  it  hath  been  represented  to  the  Board  of  Wardens  that  it 
is  necessary  a  further  addition  should  be  made  thereto.  Be  it  ordained,  That  the  County  Sur- 
veyor be  authorized  and  required ;  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  required  to  admeasure  and  lay 


90 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


off  from  the  land,  being  the  Common  of  the  town  of  Savannah, .one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  to  the 
eastward  and  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  to  the  southward  to  be  added  to  the  present  Cemetery  or 
burial  gToiuid,  so  tliat  the  whole  be  five  hundred  feet  square.  And  be  it  ordained,  That  the  addi- 
tion of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  eastward,  and  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  southward,  so  laid 
out,  added  and  extended,  shall  from  hencefoi'th,  and  forever  be  and  remain  a  public  burial  ground 
for  the  interment  of  all  Christian  people  of  whatever  denomination,  and  not  to  be  considered  as 
belonging  or  appertaining  solely  to  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Savannah  commonly  called  Christ 
Church.  And  be  it  further  ordained.  That  with  the  consent  of  the  Vestry  of  Christ  Church,  a 
proper  person  shall  be  appointed  to  superintend  the  digging  of  graves  in  the  said  burial  ground,  to 
prevent  the  deposit  of  the  dead  being  disturbed ;  and  that  the  person  so  appointed  shall  be 
entitled  to  demand  and  receive  the  following  fees ;  for  digging  the  grave  and  closing  the  same,  four 
shillings.  And  whereas  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  passed  April  seventh  1763,  two  hun- 
dred feet  square,  on  the  Common,  towards  the  five  Acre  lots,  for  the  convenience  of  a  burial 
ground  for  negroes,  was  directed  to  be  laid  out.  Be  it  further  ordained,  That  the  County  Surveyor 
be  authorized  and  required,  and  he  is  herebj'  authorized  and  required  to  admeasure  and  lay  out  the 
said  two  hundred  feet  square  for  a  burial  ground  for  the  said  negroes,  and  that  the  same  so  admeas- 
ui'cd  and  laid  off  shall  be  forever  considered  as  a  place  of  burial  for  the  negroes.  And  be  it  further 
ordained.  That  the  plots  of  the  said  County  Surveyor  be  annexed  to,  and  shall  be  considered  as 
part  of  this  ordinance. 

On  the  north-east  corner  of  Jefferson  and  South  Broad  streets  stood  a  house 
that,  in  1790,  from  an  American  stand-point,  had  somewhat  of  the  grace  of  antiquity, 
an  old  record  showing  that  Eppinger  built  it  before  1747,  for  a  public  house. 
The  tavern  then  stood  on  the  outskirts  of  the  small  settlement,  rather  an  odd 
location  for  an  inn,  yet  possibly  it  was  for  the  convenience  of  travellers  from  the 
surrounding  country,  coming  in  with  pack-horses  well  laden  with  skins  and 
other  articles  of  barter  with  the  Indians.  A  later  generation  reversed  matters. 
Eppinger's  son  occupied  the  old  public  house,  the  quondam  headquarters  of 
traders,  as  a  residence,  and  opened  an  inn  in  the  old  brick  house  now  standing 
three  doors  east  of  Drayton,  on  South  Broad  street.  The  travellers'  monopoly 
of  the  public  house  was  ended  ;  no  longer  was  the  inn  an  outpost  for  chance 
travellers,  the  substantial  brick  pile  becoming  the  centre  of  town  life.  Taverns 
were  the  first  meeting-places  of  the  early  patriots  of  ante-Revolutionary  days, 
and  many  a  noble  impulse  that  bore  fruition  in  a  brilliant  deed  during  the  Revolu- 
tion dated  its  inception  to  the  public  tavern.  The  filature,  which,  about  1770, 
saw  the  death-throes  of  the  silk  culture,  became  a  favorite  place  of  meeting  as  a 
public  hall  for  municipal  and  society  aflfairs.  Here  the  Union  Society  held  many 
lengthy  meetings,  varied  now  and  then  by  one  shortened  to  adjournment,  for  the 
minutes    quaintly   record   that   the   filature    was   found  occupied   by   the  St. 


HISTOltIC  AND   I'ICTintESQUE  SAVANNAH 


91 


Andrew's  Society,  an  association  of  Scottish  sons,  in  1790,  under  the  direction 
of  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  president,  and  Sir  George  Houstoun,  vice-president. 
What  comfortable,  easy  tempers  were  possessed  by  the  members  of  the  Union 
Society,  to  adjourn,  instead  of  claiming-  the  rights  of  priority  !  This  submission 
reminds  us  somewhat  of  the  phlegm  of  those  old  Dutch  settlers  on  the  Island  of 
Manhattan,  who,  when  threatened  by  the  English,  quietly  seated  themselves, 
lighted  their  pipes,  and  fulminated  against  the  English  the  smoke  of  peaceful 
warfare. 

The  newly  made  city  was  not  without  that  insignia  of  olEce  which  gains  many 
a  bloodless  victory,  overawing  the  would-be  rebellious  citizen  by  the  sight  ol 
the  wand,  the  mere  badge  of  power. 

The  marshal's  staff  was  white,  six  and  a  half  feet  in  length,  one  inch  in 
diameter,  with  the  device,  the  letters  M.C.S.,  in  white  on  a  red  tield. 

The  constable's  staff  was  Ijlue,  six  and  a  half  feet  in  length,  two  inches  in 
diameter,  bearing  on  a  red  field  the  name  and  number  in  white  of  the  ward 
under  his  jurisdiction. 

Nor  was  the  scavenger  without  his  staff, — black,  one  foot  in  length,  two 
inches  in  diameter,  each  end  red.    All  were  ordered  at  the  expense  of  the  city. 

The  month  of  May,  in  the  year  1791,  was  long  remembered  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Savannah.  It  marked  an  event  in  her  annals,  the  official  entertain- 
ment of  the  first  President  of  the  United  States,  George  Washington,  during  his 
memorable  trip  throughout  the  country.  This  journey,  begun  in  March,  accom- 
plished one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-seven  miles,  "'without  sickness, 
bad  health,  or  any  untoward  accident."  Indeed,  so  highly  favored  was  Washington, 
that  he  arrived  at  each  place  according  to  the  very  day  mentioned  in  the  itinerary 
prepared  for  the  journey. 

George  Washington's  headquarters  in  Savannah  were  at  the  inn  on  the  corner 
of  Barnard  and  State  streets  ;  until  recent  years  a  landmark  of  the  city,  its  well- 
worn,  time-eaten  boards  were  pulled  down  to  make  way  for  the  present  imposing 
structure  of  Odd  Fellows'  Hall.  It  was  a  brilliant  time  in  the  city's  history. 
The  "  Georgia  Gazette "  devoted  its  entire  space  of  the  nineteenth  of  May  to  an 
account  of  the  visit. 

On  Thursday  morning  the  President  arrived  at  Purysburgh,  where  he  was  received  by  the 
Committee  who  had  been  deputed  by  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Savannah  and  its  vicinit}'  for  that 
purpose,  and  to  conduct  him  to  the  City  in  a  boat,  which  had  been  equipped  and  neath^  ornamented 


92 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


for  the  occasion.  The  President  with  the  Committee,  his  Secretary,  ^lajor  Jackson,  Major  Butler, 
General  Wayne  and  Mr.  Baillie,  embarked  at  Purysburgh  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock,  and  was 
rowed  down  the  River  by  nine  American  Captains,  viz :  Captains  Putnam,  Courter,  Rice,  Fisher, 
Huntingdon,  Kershaw,  Swain,  Mclntyre,  and  Morrison,  who  were  dressed  in  light  blue  silk  jackets, 
black  satin  breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  and  round  hats  with  black  ribbons  having  the  words, 
"  Long  Live  the  President,""  in  letters  of  gold.  Within  ten  miles  of  the  City,  they  wei'e  met  by  a 
number  of  gentlemen  in  several  boats  ;  and  as  the  Pi'esident  passed  by  them,  a  band  of  Music  played 
the  celebrated  song,  "  He  comes,  the  Hero  comes,""  accompanied  by  several  voices.  On  his  approach 
to  the  city,  the  concourse  on  the  bluff,  and  the  crowds  which  had  pressed  into  the  vessels,  evinced 
the  general  joy  which  had  been  inspired  by  the  visit  of  this  most  beloved  of  men.  and  the  ardent  desire 
of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  i^eoi^le  to  be  gratified  by  his  jjresence.  Upon  arriving  at  the  upper 
IJart  of  the  harbor,  he  was  saluted  from  the  wharves,  and  by  the  shipping,  and  particularly  by  the 
ship  Thomas  Wilson,  Captain  White, —  which  was  beautifully  decorated  with  the  colors  of  various 
nations.  At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  where  the  President  landed,  he  was  received  by  Colonel  Gunn  and 
General  Jackson,  who  introduced  him  to  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City.  The  Artillery  Com- 
pany saluted  him  with  twenty-six  discharges  from  their  field-pieces,  and  he  was  then  conducted  to 
a  house  prepared  by  the  corporation  for  his  accommodation,  in  St.  James'  Square,  in  the  following 
order  of  procession : 

Light  Infantry  Company, 
Field  Officers  and  other  Officers  of  the 
Militia, 
Marshal  of  the  City, 
Treasurer,  Clerk  and  Recorder, 
Aldermen,  the  Mayor, 
President  and  Suite, 
Committee  of  Citizens, 
Members  of  the  Cincinnati, 
Citizens  two  and  two. 
Artillery  Company. 

The  President  and  Suite  dined  with  the 
Corporation  at  six  o'clock  the  same  day,  and 
were  conducted  to  Brown's  Coffee  House  by 
the  Mayor  of  the  City  and  the  President  of 
the  Cincinnati.  Many  distinguished  gentle- 
men by  invitation  partook  of  the  entertain- 
ment prepared.  Sundry  patriotic  toasts  were 
drunk,  each  succeeded  by  discharges  from 
the  field-pieces  of  the  Artillery.  In  the  eve- 
ning the  city  was  beautifullj-  illuminated. 
The  next  day,  the  President  dined  with  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  of  Georgia  at  Brown's  Coffee 
House,  the  toasts  offered  being  accomjjanied  by  federal  salutes  from  the  Artillery. 


BISTOBIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


93 


Tn  the  evening  a  Ball  in  honor  of  the  President  was  given  at  the  Long  Room  in  the  Filature. 
At  half  past  eight  o'clock,  the  President  honored  the  Company  with  his  presence  and  was  personally 
introduced  one  of  the  Managers  to  ninety  six  ladies, 
who  were  elegantly-dressed,  some  of  whom  disi^layed 
Infinite  tast(i  iu  the  emblems  and  devices  on  their  sashes 
and  head-dresses,  out  of  respect  to  the  happy  occasion. 

The  room  which  had  been  lately  handsomely  fitted 
up,  and  was  well  lighted,  afforded  the  President  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  of  viewing  the  Fair  Sex  of  our  City 
and  vicinity,  and  the  ladies  the  gratification  of  paying 
their  respects  to  our  Federal  Chief. 

After  a  few  minuets  were  moved,  and  one  country 
dance  led  down,  the  President  and  his  suite  retired  about 
eleven  o'clock.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  supper  room  was 
opened,  and  the  ladies  partook  of  a  repast,  after  which 
dances  continued  until  three  o'clock.  The  comjiany  re-  -^^j 
tired  with  the  happy  satisfaction  of  having  generally  con- 
tributed  towards  the  hilarity  and  gaiety  of  the  evening. 

On  Saturday  morning,  the  President  attended  by 
General  Mcintosh  and  several  other  gentlemen,  took  a 
view  of  the  remaining  traces  of  the  lines  constructed  by 
the  British  for  the  defence  of  Savannah  in  1779 ;  the 
General  having  been  second  in  command  under  General 
Lincoln  at  storming  them,  had  an  opportunity  of  giving 
an  account  of  everything  interesting  during  the  siege  and  in  the  attack. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  President  honored  the  Citizens  with  his  company  at  a  dinner  prepared  for 
him  under  a  beautiful  arbor,  supported  by  three  rows  of  pillars  entirely  covered  with  laurel  and  bay 
leaves,  so  as  to  exhibit  uniform  green  columns.  The  pillars  were  higher  than  the  arbor,  and  oi'na- 
mented  above  it  by  festoons,  and  connected  below  by  arches  covered  in  the  same  manner.  The 
place  on  which  it  stood  was  judiciously  chosen,  presenting  at  once  a  view  of  the  city  and  of  the 
shipping  in  the  harbor,  with  an  extensive  prospect  of  the  river  and  rice  lands  both  above  and  below 
the  town.  But  the  principal  advantage  which  resulted  from  its  situation  and  structure  was  the  op- 
portunity which  it  alibrded  to  a  great  body  of  people  to  have  a  distinct  and  uninterrupted  view  of 
that  object  to  which  all  eyes  and  hearts  appeared  to  be  attracted. 

A  Company  of  neai-ly  two  hundred  citizens  and  strangers  dined  under  it  and  the  satisfaction 
which  each  one  enjoyed  in  paying  this  personal  tribute  to  the  merit  of  a  man,  who  is,  if  possible, 
more  beloved  for  his  goodness  than  admired  for  his  greatness,  produced  a  degree  of  convivial  and 
harmonious  mirth  rarely  experienced. 

Every  one  beheld  with  delight  in  the  person  of  our  I'l-esident.  the  able  General,  the  virtuous  Patriot, 
the  profound  Politician ;  in  a  word,  one  of  the  most  shining  ornaments  that  ever  dignified  human  nature. 

The  Artillery  Company  dined  under  another  arbor,  erected  at  a  small  distance,  and  received 
merited  applause  for  the  great  dexterity  which  they  displayed  in  firing,  at  each  toast.      Their  fires 


94 


HISTORW  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


were  returned  by  Fort  Wayne  and  the  ship  Thomas  Wilson  which  was  raooi'ed  opposite  the  arbor; 
her  decorations  througli  the  day,  and  illumination  at  niglit  had  a  line  effect. 

The  following  toasts  were  given :  The  United  States  of  America,  Prosperity  to  the  Citizens 
of  Savannah  and  its  vicinity.  [By  the  President.]  The  Fair  of  America.  The  Vice  President  of 
the  United  States.  The  memorable  Era  of  Independence.  The  Count  D'Estaing.  The  Memory  of 
General  Greene.  The  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  memory  of  those  brave  men  who  fell  before  the 
Lines  of  Savannah  on  the  Ninth  of  October,  1779.  The  Friends  to  Free  and  Equal  (government 
throughout  the  Globe.  All  foreign  Powers  in  Friendship  with  the  United  States.  May  Religion 
and  Philosophy  always  triumjih  over  Superstition  and  Prejudice  in  America.  The  Present  Dexterous 
Corps  of  Artillery.  [The  President's  toast.]  [After  the  President  retired.]  The  President  of  the  * 
United  States. 

The  constructi(jn  of  the  arbor,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  entertainment  was  provided  and 
conducted,  did  great  honor  to  the  gentlemen  to  whose  direction  the  whole  was  committed. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  handsome  exhibition  of  firewoi'ks,  and  the  amusements  of  this  day 
of  joy  and  festivity  were  concluded  by  a  Concert. 

On  Sunday  morning,  the  President  attended  Divine  Service  in  Christ  Church ;  and  soon  after 
set  out  on  his  way  to  Augusta.  On  taking  his  leave  of  the  Mayor  and  Committee  of  the  Citizens, 
he  politely  expressed  his  sense  of  the  attention  shewn  him  by  the  Corporation  and  every  denomina- 
tion of  people  during  his  stay  in  Savannah.  He  was  attended  out  of  the  City  by  a  number  of  gentle- 
men, and  escorted  by  a  detachment  of  Augusta  dragoons,  commanded  by  Major  Ambrose  Gordon. 
At  the  Spring  Hill,  the  President  was  received  by  General  Jackson,  where  the  Artillery  and  Light 
Infantry  companies  were  di'awn  up,  and  was  there  saluted  by  thirty  nine  discharges  from  the  field 
pieces,  and  thirteen  volleys  of  platoons.  After  which  he  proceeded  with  several  gentlemen  to  Mul- 
berry Grove,  the  seat  of  the  late  Major-General  Greene,  where  he  dined  and  then  resumed  liis  tour. 

The  day  after  the  departure  of  General  Washington  the  following  card  appeared 
in  the  public  joui'iials  of  our  city  :  — 

General  Jackson  requests  Captains  Else  of  the  Artillery,  and  Montfort  of  the  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, to  accept  his  best  thanks  for  their  soldierly  conduct  at  the  reception,  during  the  stay,  and  on 
the  departui'c  of  the  President.  He  likewise  pi'csents  his  thanks  to  the  Commissioned  and  Non- 
commissioned Officers  and  Privates  of  each  Corps. 

It  is  a  2^1easure  to  the  General  to  announce  to  the  Artillery  the  very  general  applause  they 
received  on  Saturday,  and,  what  ought  to  immortalize  the  Corps,  the  approbation  of  their  conduct, 
expressed  in  the  warmest  terms  by  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  United  States.  The  General 
hopes  that  this  character,  so  fii'mly  established,  will  long  continue  them  an  ornament  to  the  Militia, 
and  an  honor  to  the  State  of  Georgia.  The  Field  Officers  of  the  Chatham  Regiment  will  be  pleased 
to  communicate  this  oi'der,  and  to  receive  the  General's  highest  commendations  for  their  attention  to 
the  duties  required  of  them. 

JAS.  JACKSON, 

Brigadier  General  first  Diatrirt. 

Savannah,  May  sixteenth,  1791. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE   SAVANNAH  95 

« 

The  Chatham  Artillery  Company,  vvhi(;h  found  such  favor  in  the  President's 
eyes,  received  shortly  after  his  departure  the  gift  of  the  "Washington  Guns,"  two 
six-pounder  bronze  field-pieces.  To-day,  though  no  longer  brought  into  actual  ser- 
vice, they  remain  the  pride  of  the  ancient  company. 

Upon  one  of  them  are  inscribed  the  words  :  "  Surrendered  by  the  capitulation 
of  York  Town,  October  nineteenth,  1781.  Honi  soil  qui  mal  y  pense.  —  G.  R." 
with  the  Imperial  crown.    It  was  cast  in  1756,  during  the  reign  of  George  II. 

Of  the  various  creeds  represented  in  Savannah,  to  the  Hebrew  Congregation 
alone  belongs  the  honor  of  a  letter  of  congratulation,  written  by  Levi  Sheftall  to 
George  Washington  upon  his  accession  to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States  in 
1789.  The  honor  is  more  than  municipal,  it  is  national,  for  no  mention  has  been 
found  of  any  other  Hebrew  congregation  in  the  country  congratulating  the  newly 
made  President.  The  letter  met  with  a  digniHed,  happy  response  from  George 
Washington. 

LETTER  TO  WASHINGTON,  AND  HIS  REPLY. 

S A V.  May  6th  1789. 

General  George  Washington,  President  of  the  United  Stiifes :  — 

Sir,  —  We  have  long  been  anxious  of  congratulating  you  on  your  appointment  by  unanimous 
aj^probation,  to  the  Presidential  dignity  of  this  country,  and  of  testifying  our  unbounded  Confidence 
in  yovir  integrit}'  and  unblemished  virtue.  Yet,  however  exalted  the  station  you  now  fill,  it  is  still 
not  equal  to  the  merit  of  your  lieroic  services  through  an  arduous  and  dangerous  conflict  whicth  has 
embosomed  you  in  the  hearts  of  our  citizens. 

Our  eccentric  situation  added  to  a  diffidence  founded  on  the  most  profound  respect  has  thus 
long  prevented  our  address,  yet  the  delay  has  realized  anticipation,  giving  us  an  opjjortunity  of  pre- 
senting our  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  benediction  of  Heaven,  through  the  magnanimity 
of  Federal  influence  and  the  equity  of  your  administration. 

Your  unexampled  liberality  and  extensive  philanthropy  have  dispelled  that  cloud  of  bigoti'y 
and  superstition  which  has  long  as  a  veil  shaded  religion,  unriveted  fetters  of  enthusiasm,  enfran- 
chised us  with  all  the  jirivileges  and  immunities  of  free  citizens,  and  initiated  us  into  the  grand 
mass  of  legislative  mechanism. 

IW  example,  you  have  taught  us  to  endure  the  ravages  of  war  with  manly  fortitude,  and  to 
enjoy  the  blessings  of  peace  with  reverence  to  the  Deity  and  benignity,  and  love  to  our  fellow- 
creatures. 

May  the  Great  Author  of  the  world  grant  you  all  happiness,  —  an  uninterrupted  series  of  health 
—  addition  of  years  to  the  number  of  your  days,  and  a  (continuance  of  guardianship  to  that  freedom 
which  under  the  auspices  of  heaven  your  magnanimity  and  wisdom  have  given  these  states. 

LEVI  SHEFTALL, 

Presidoit. 

In  behalf  of  the  Hebrew  Congregation. 


96 


BISTORIC  AND  FICTIJRESQUE  SAVANNAH 


To  which  the  President  was  pleased  to  return  the  following  answer  :  — 

Washington,  May  12. 

To  the  Hebrew  Congregation  of  the  City  of  Savannah,  Oa. :  — 

Gentlemen,  —  I  thank  you  with  great  sincerity  for  your  congratulation  on  my  appointment 
to  the  office,  which  ]  have  the  honor  to  hold  by  the  unanimous  choice  of  my  fellow  citizens,  and 
especially  the  expressions  you  are  pleased  to  use  in  testifying  the  confidence  that  is  reposed  in  me 
by  your  Congregation. 

As  the  delay  which  has  naturally  intervened  between  my  election  and  your  address  has 
afforded  me  an  opportunity  for  appreciating  the  merits  of  its  administration,  I  have  rather  to 
express  my  satisfaction  rather  than  regret  at  a  circumstance  which  demonstrates  (upon  experiment) 
your  attachment  to  the  former  as  well  as  approbation  of  the  latter. 

I  rejoice  that  a  spirit  of  liberality  and  philanthropy  is  much  more  prevalent  than  it  formerly 
was  among  the  enlightened  nations  of  the  earth,  and  that  your  brethren  will  benefit  thereby  in  pro- 
portion as  it  shall  become  still  more  extensive. 

Happily  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  in  many  instances  exhibited  examples  worthy  of 
imitation,  the  salutary  influences  of  which  will  doubtless  extend  much  farther  if,  gratefully  enjoying 
those  blessings  of  peace  which  (under  the  favor  of  heaven)  have  Ijeen  attained  by  fortitude  in  war, 
they  shall  conduct  themselves  with  reverence  to  the  Deity  and  charity  toward  their  fellow-creatures. 

May  the  same  wonder-working  Deity  who  long  since  delivered  the  Hebrews  from  their 
Egyptian  oppressors,  planted  them  in  a  promised  land,  whose  providential  agency  has  lately  been 
conspicuous  in  establishing  these  United  States,  as  an  independent  nation,  still  continue  to  water 
them  with  the  dews  of  heaven,  and  make  the  inhabitants  of  every  denomination  participate  in  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  blessings  of  that  people  whose  God  is  Jehovah. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

The  handful  of  Hebrews  that  arrived  in  Savannah  in  July  of  1733  brought  with 
them  the  Sephar  Torali  Scroll  of  the  Law,  which  is  still  preserved  by  the  present 
congregation  of  K.  K.  Mickva  Israel.  Tradition  points  to  a  room  near  the  market, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Bay  street  lane,  where  divine  service  was  first  held.  Here 
the  congregation  continued  to  worship  till  1740  or  1741,  when  it  was  temporarily 
dissolved  by  the  removal  of  all  but  three  of  the  Hebrew  families  to  Charleston.  In 
1774,  an  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  worship.  Mordecai  Sheftall,  ever  a  friend  to 
progress,  fitted  up  a  room  in  his  own  house  on  Broughton  street,  where  service  was 
held  regularly  till  the  Revolution  scattered  the  congregation.  Twelve  years  later, 
in  1786,  the  congregation  was  reestablished  in  a  house  on  St.  James'  square.  It  con- 
tinued to  swell  its  proportions,  and  in  1790  received  a  charter  of  its  organization, 
granted  by  Governor  Edward  Telfair.  From  that  day  to  this  the  minutes  of  the 
congregation  have  been  faithfully  recorded  and  preserved. 


CHAPTER  yi. 


ACCORDING  to  a  map  of  Savannah  before  the  fire  of  179f)  three  new  religious 
sects  had  gained  a  foothold  within  the  city :  the  Methodists,  Baptists,  and 
Roman  Catholics.  The  first  house  of  worship  belonging  to  the  Methodists  was  on 
the  eastern  side  of  Columbia  square,  and  the  Reverend  Beverly  Allen  was  the  first 
preacher  sent,  in  1785,  to  propagate  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Savannah. 

The  Baptist  meeting-house,  erected  about  1795,  was  situated  on  Franklin 
square,  now  the  site  of  the  First  African  Baptist  church.  The  citizens  of  Charles- 
ton, in  conjunction  with  the  people  of  Savannah,  contributed  liberally  to  the  erection 
of  this  building ;  but  it  remained  in  an  unfinished  state,  and  thus  was  it  rented  to  the 
Presbyterians  for  several  years. 

The  Roman  Catholic  chapel  stood  in  Liberty  Ward,  on  the  north-west  side  of 
the  square.  It  fell  into  bad  repair,  possibly  into  ruins,  from  the  lack  of  care  and  of 
worshippers,  for  the  earliest  Roman  Catholics  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  were 
Irish  emigrants,  called  Redemptionists,  owing  to  their  inability  to  pay  their  passage. 

Within  the  recollections  of  the  old  French  Roman  Catholic  families  in  Savannah, 
who  were  the  first  to  give  an  impetus  to  their  religious  taith,  there  was  no  place  of 
worship.  Whenever  a  priest  came  along  on  a  mission,  services  were  held  at 
Monsieur  INIirault's,  in  the  westei'n  portion  of  the  city. 

A  plan  for  a  new  jail  was  presented  in  1794,  on  a  larger  scale  than  former  ones. 
Its  measurements  were  seventy  feet  in  front  and  fifty  feet  in  breadth,  with  two 
stories  aboveground  and  one  underground.  This  was  probably  located  on 
Lafayette  square,  the  site  of  Mr.  Low's  residence.  On  the  common,  on  the  White 
Blutf  road,  to  the  right  of  the  road  leaving  the  city,  a  space  of  land  was  allotted  for 
the  Academy.  A  night-watch  was  established  in  the  year  1793,  the  watch  to  be 
called  out  only  three  nights  in  a  week,  the  City  Council  reserving  the  privilege  of 
appointing  the  nights.  A  theatre  stood  on  the  south-west  side  of  Franklin  square. 
We  know  not  if  it  were  the  new  or  the  old  theatre,  for  in  the  "  Columbian  Museum 

(97) 


98  BISTOIUC  AND    PICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 

and  Savannah  Advertiser  "  of  October  twenty-tirst,  1796,  occurs  the  following 
advertisement :  — 

THEATRICAL. 

The  first  Essay  of  American  genius  in  the  Dramatic  Art,  is  a  comedy  called  the  Contrast 
with  which  (it  has  been  suggested  by  the  Managers)  the  New  Theatre  in  Savannah  will  be  opened. 

The  earliest  mention  of  a  theatrical  performance  in  Savannah  (to  be  found  in 
existing  files  of  newspapers)  was  presented  in  the  following  quaint  advertisement  in 
the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  of  September  twenty-seventh,  1783  :  — 

"  By  Permission." 

At  the  Filature  on  Thursday,  the  ninth  day  of  October  next,  will  be  performed  for  the  benefit 
of  the  jooor,  by  a  set  of  gentlemen,  the  tragedy  called  "  The  Fair  Penitent,"  to  which  will  be  added 
an  entertainment,  "  Miss  in  her  Teens,"  or  the  "  Medley  of  Lovers."  The  doors  to  be  opened  at  half 
jjasttive  o'clock,  and  the  play  to  begin  j^recisely  at  seven.  Tickets  to  be  had  of  Captain  Fields  and 
Mr.  Polack.  Pit  4s.  8d.  Gallery  os.  (5d.  No  money  will  be  received  at  the  door,  and  no  gentle- 
men will  be  admitted  Ijehind  the  Scenes  on  any  pretence. 

The  troupe  was 
under  the  manage- 
ment of  Gordon  & 
Kidd,  who  h  ad 
come  to  Georgia 
to  settle  in  the 
way  of  their  pro- 
fession." They  met 
with  encourage- 
ment in  the  amuse- 
ment-loving town 
of  Savannah,  for 

they  kept  up  their  theatrical  engagements  through  the  years  of  1  783,  1784,  and  1785, 
during  which  time  they  also  held  a  dancing-school,  for  the  improvement  in  grace 
of  the  young  women  and  young  men  of  those  days. 

The  sister  art  of  dancing  went  hand  in  hand  with  the  theatrical  performances. 
The  various  intricacies  of  steps  in  vogue  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago  must  cause  a 
smile  in  reading  the  following  advertisement:  — 


EIHTOltIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


99 


Friday  Ocrr.  twenty  eighth  1796.  School  fok  Dancing.  —  Mr.  (ioodwin,  who  ten  years 
past  had  the  honor  of  being  patronized  by  all  the  principal  families  in  Savannah  at  the  tlien  Ijoard- 
ing-school,  and  at  his  room.  Although  ten  years  more  experience,  with  meliorated  practice  has 
improved  him  as  a  Teacher,  his  Capacity  in  the  active  part  of  Dancing :  therefore  he  proposes  on 
some  occasions  to  give  a  pi'oof  of  his  remaining  abilities  in  "  the  steps  of  grace."  At  the  new 
Theatre  on  the  Stage,  the  new  mode  in  Dancing  the  Minuets  (with  the  graceful  baulk  in  offering 
hands),  and  the  Pai'ade  Dance,  which  immediately  follows  (danced  by  two,  four  or  eight)  will  be 
taught.  Also  a  Country  Dance,  called  Independence  or  the  Stars.  Mr.  Goodwin  has  taken  the 
House  lately  occujiied  by  ]\Irs.  Hawle}*,  near  the  Post  Office,  and  is  fitting  up  a  commodious  room 
for  the  reception  of  those  young  misses  and  masters  whose  respective  parents  may  honor  him  with 
their  patronage. 

A  small  matter  which  indicates  a  general  prosperity  in  the  city  was  the  resolu- 
tion, on  January  nineteenth,  1796,  of  the  City  Council  to  furnish  "seventeen  sign 
paintings  for  the  streets,  at  one  dollar  and  a  half  each." 

The  minutes  of  the  twentieth  of  June,  of  the  same  year,  bear  the  unusual  record 
of  the  Mayor  subjected  to  a  fine.  Fancy  the  chuckle  of  the  City  Fathers,  assembled 
in  solemn  council,  when  the  clerk  read  out,  "The  information  against  the  Mayor,  for 
sending  out  one  of  the  public  fire  ladders  was  acted  upon,  and  the  fact  admitted, 
ordered  that  the  Mayor  be  fined  ten  dollars  "  !  Doubtless,  a  hearty  laugh  greeted 
the  clerk,  the  Mayor  himself  leading  the  merriment. 

On  April  fifth  of  the  year  1796  the  Mayor's  Court  was  first  organized.  It 
held  its  sessions  in  the  City  Hall  of  the  city  of  Savannah.  The  court  was  opened 
in  due  form  by  James  McCorkey,  Esq.,  the  sheriff,  who  appeared  that  day  and 
took  the  oath  of  office.  This  court  continued  as  the  Mayor's  Court  until  1820,  when 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  Oyer  and  Terminer  was  organized  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature. 

A  glance  at  the  city  in  1796  exhibits  evidences  of  growth  and  enlargement  never 
before  reached,  —  a  rapid  stride  in  material  advancement  since  the  devastations  of 
twenty  years  before  ;  but  the  pleasing  aspect  was  changed  in  a  single  night  to  one  of 
destruction  and  loss.  A  graphic  picture  of  the  fire  of  ISTovember  twenty-six,  1796,  is 
given  in  the  "Columbian  Museum  and  Savannah  Advertiser"  of  the  followino- 
Tuesday.  This  paper,  brought  into  being  in  the  year  1796,  was  issued  semiweekly, 
on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays,  continuing  its  existence  till  it  was  merged  in  the  "  Daily 
Museum  and  Gazette."  The  office  at  this  time  was  on  the  corner  of  St.  Julian  street, 
opposite  the  church. 


100 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURE ISQUE  SAVANNAH 


Having  sutfered  with  others  in  the  late  c-alamity,  we  have  made  haste  to  collect  the  remains  of  our 
Printing  Materials,  and  now  present  to  the  Public  a  few  of  the  Circumstances  which  accompanied 
this  event  —  being  ever  their  obedient  Servants,  the  Printers  of  the  Columbian  Museum.  On  Saturday 
the  twenty  sixth  instant,  this  City  exhibited  a  scene  of  desolation  and  distress  probably  more  a^vfully 
calamitous  than  any  pi-eviously  experienced  in  America.  Between  six  and  seven  in  the  evening  a 
small  Bake  House  belonging  to  a  ^Ir.  Gromet  in  Market  Square  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire.  The 
Citizens  together  with  the  officers  and  crews  of  the  vessels  in  the  harbor  were  soon  convened,  but 
unfortunately  no  immediate  and  decisive  measures  were  adopted  by  which  the  fire  could  be  stopped 
at  its  beginning.  The  fortunate  escape  from  this  destructive  element,  which  the  city  for  many  years 
past  experienced,  had  greatly  lulled  the  vigilance  of  its  inliabitants  and  prevented  suitable  prepara- 
tions for  such  a  calamity.  The  period  when  such  j^recautions  and  the  united  efforts  of  active  exer- 
tion could  have  been  useful,  was  however,  of  very  short  duration.  The  season  for  two  months  pre- 
vious to  this  incident  had  been  dry.  The  night  was  cold,  and  a  light  breeze  from  N.N.W.  was 
soon  encreased  by  the  effect  of  the  fire.  The  coverings  of  the  buildings  being  of  wood,  were  from  the 
above  circumstances,  rendered  highly  combustible.  Several  of  the  adjoining  houses  were  soon 
affected,  and  then  almost  instantly  in  flames.  The  wind  now  became  strong  and  whirled  into  the  air 
with  agitated  violence,  large  flakes  of  burning  shingles,  boards,  and  other  light  substances,  which 
alighting  at  a  distance,  added  confusion  to  the  other  terrors  of  the  conflagration.  The  use  of  water 
was  soon  rendered  totally  in  vain,  its  common  extinguishing  power  seemed  to  be  lost.  Torrents  of 
flames  rolled  from  house  to  house  with  a  destructive  rapidity,  which  bid  defiance  to  all  human  con- 
troul,  and  individual  exertions  were  from  this  time  principally  pointed  towards  the  securing  of  pri- 
vate property.  The  direction  of  the  fire  being  now  committed  to  the  wind,  its  rage  was  abated  only 
when  by  its  extending  to  the  common  it  found  no  fai-ther  object  wherewith  to  feed  its  fury. 

On  the  noi'th  side  of  Market  Square  and  hence  in  a  south-easterly  direction,  the  inhabitants 
were  enabled  by  favour  of  the  wind  to  save  their  houses,  and  limit  the  conflagration ;  on  the  other 
hand  by  the  time  it  had  extended  on  the  Bay  nearly  to  Abercorn  street,  the  prodigious  quantity  of 
heat  already  produced  in  the  center  of  the  city,  began  to  draw  in  a  current  of  air  from  the  east,  and 
enabled  some  of  the  most  active  inhabitants  and  seamen  to  save  a  few  houses  in  that  quarter,  after 
having  been  in  imminent  danger.  Between  twelve  and  one  the  fire  abated,  and  few  other  houses 
from  this  time  took  fire.  The  exhausted  sufferers  of  both  sexes  had  now  to  remain  exposed  to  the 
inclemency  of  a  cold  frosty  night,  or  to  Avitness  the  distressing  spectacle  of  their  numerous  dwellings 
covered  with  volumes  of  smoke  and  flame,  tuml)ling  into  ruins.  Thus  was  this  little  city  soon  after 
emerging  from  the  ravages  of  our  revolutionary  war,  so  lately  promising  considerable  figure  among 
the  commercial  cities  of  our  Sister  States,  almost  destroyed  in  a  single  night. 

The  morning  after  the  catastrophe  a  most  interesting  and  melancholy  picture  presented  itself 
in  the  distressed  countenances  of  its  inhabitants,  the  smoking  ruins,  the  forest  of  naked  chimneys, 
the  various  kinds  of  destruction  of  goods  and  Furniture,  and  the  crowds  of  houseless  inhabitants. 
The  hospitality  of  the  few  whose  houses  remain  has  been  general  and  unrestrained,  their  tenements 
are  shared  with  the  others  but  they  are  insiifficient.  The  buildings  of  the  city  were  before  wholly 
occupied;  what  i-emains  cannot  now  contain  the  inhabitants.  Everything  which  an  ett'ective  sym- 
pathy, which  an  active  benevolence  among  their  Fellow  Citizens  can  perform,  will  undoubtedly  be 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


101 


done.  A  timely  interference  of  the  State  Legislatm-e  may  also  be  expected.  But  we  presume  to 
hope  that  the  prospect  of  relief  will  not  be  limited  to  their  resources  alone,  the  truly  humane  are  not 
confined  in  their  benevolence  to  objects  that  are  near  them,  and  many  incidents  have  occurred  of 
misfortiuies  far  inferior  to  this,  which  have  evinced  the  justice  by  which  the  Americans  can  claim 
the  honor  of  being  humane.  The  anxious  eyes  of  immediate  distress  must  however  be  turned  to  the 
planters  of  the  neighbouring  counties,  and  we  sliouUl  be  sorry  to  do  them  the  injustice  to  sujipose 
that  they  will  not  feel  a  satisfaction  in  attbrding  the  necessary  relief.  AVe  jjersuade  ourselves  that 
we  shall  be  sincerely  joined  by  our  readers,  in  fervent  wishes  tliat  Providence  may  avert  from 
others,  so  severe  and  afflicting  a  calamity.  The  following  statement  is  just  handed  as  this  pa2Jer  is 
going  to  press  :  "  During  the  conflagration  on  Saturday  night  last  in  four  hours  two  hundred  and 
twenty  nine  houses,  besides  exclusive  of  loose  property  three  hundred  and  seventy  five  chimneys  are 
standing' bai'e  and  form  a  dismal  appearance,  one  hundred  and  seventy  one  houses  only  of  the  com- 
pact part  of  the  city  are  standing,  upwards  of  four  hundred  families  are  destitute  of  houses.  Charities 
are  solicited. 

Donations  of  money  and  provisions  poured  in  from  all  parts  of  the  States,  and 
the  citizens,  with  their  characteristic  energy  in  an  emergency,  strove  to  relieve  their 
losses  as  best  they  could. 

The  Baptists  extended  the  use  of  their  meeting-house  to  the  Independent  Pres- 
byterians, whose  church  had  been  destroyed  by  the  lire.  Here  the  Presbyterians 
continued  to  worship  till  their  new  church  was  completed,  in  1800,  on  St.  James 
square,  between  York  and  President  streets,  on  the  lot  opposite  the  present  Trinity 
Methodist  church.  A  proposal  to  make  of  the  new  theatre  a  "  Dwelling  House  for 
the  relief  of  the  distressed  families,"  appeared  in  the  issue  of  the  "Columbian  Museum 
and  Savannah  Advertiser  "  of  Tuesday,  December  sixth.  It  is  not  known  if  the 
proposal  was  carried  out,  but  in  1798  the  theatre  had  returned  to  its  legitimate 
calling,  for  there  was  notice  given  of  a  Charleston  troupe  to  appear  in  Savannah  on 
the  night  of  December  first.  A  circulating  liI)rHry,  orginated  by  George  Lamb  in 
January,  1798,  betokens  a  new  interest  in  the  community.  A  census  taken  the 
same  year  reveals  the  population  of  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-six 
souls,  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  of  them  negroes.  The  city  consisted  of  six 
hundred  and  eighteen  dwelling-houses,  four  hundred  and  fifteen  kitchens,  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  out-houses,  stores,  and  shops.  The  "  City  Tavern,"  on 
Broughton  street,  kept  by  Christopher  Gunn,  was  the  fashionable  hotel  of  the  day. 
The  erection  of  an  exchange  began  to  agitate  the  air  in  1798  ;  the  year  following,  the 
agitation  assumed  substantial  proportions,  and  on  the  fourth  of  June,  1799,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  present  structure  was  laid  with  Masonic  ceremonies.  The  site 
had  formerly  been  occupied  by  a  building  destroyed  in  the  November  fire  of  1796. 


102 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Admiration  is  aroused  for  the  judgment  of  those  citizens  in  their  selection  of  a  site 
for  an  exchange.  To-day  none  better  could  be  made.  At  the  head  of  the  main 
promenade  of  the  city,  —  Bull  street,  fronting  on  Bay  street, — the  great  com- 
mercial and  wholesale  thoroughfare,  it  has  formed  an  admirable  focus  of  business 
interests. 

An  account  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  is  given  in  the 
records  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  :  "  The  Grand  Lodge 
convened  in  consequence  of  an  invitation  hy  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen,  to  lay  the 
Corner  Stone  of  the  City  Exchange.  The  Members  present  went  in  procession, 
attended  by  the  Corporation,  when  the  stone  was  placed  in  position  in  the  usual 
Masonic  form,  by  the  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master .  William  Stephens,  aided  by 
the  Grand  Wardens,  and  accompanied  by  the  brethren ;  after  which  the  Grand  Mas- 
ter delivered  an  appropriate  oration.  The  plate  deposited  with  the  stone  had  the 
following  inscription  A.L.  5799.  A.D.  1799  of  American  Independence  the  twenty 
third  year.  Matthew  McAllister  Mayor,  —  William  Stephens,  Grand  Master."  "The 
plan  of  the  building,  pi'ovided  that  it  be  of  brick  and  stone,  seventy  five  feet  by  fifty 
feet,  three  stories,  with  apartments  for  the  different  pul)lic  offices  and  otherwise 
calculated  for  a  city  exchange."  No  record  tells  when  the  building  was  completed, 
or  when  first  occupied,  but  the  general  conjecture  is  that  the  year  1801  saw  it 
finished,  the  bell  in  tlie  steeple  bearing  the  date  1803.  For  many  years  the  lower 
floor  on  Bay  street  was  used  as  the  post-office  and  custom-house,  and  the  upper 
rooms  became  the  headquarters  of  the  municipal  government,  superseding  the  filature. 

Built  by  a  joint-stock  company,  tlie  city  at  first  held  but  twenty-five  shares, 
gradually  increasing  its  stock  till,  in  1812,  it  came  into  full  possession  of  the  build- 
ing, which  then  formed,  legally  as  well  as  practically,  the  "  City  Hall."  The  dying 
days  of  the  eighteenth  century  saw  another  building  erected  in  Savannah;  the  out- 
growth of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  that  organization  which  exerts  a  powerful 
influence  in  whatever  community  found.  Till  within  the  present  year,  the  old 
Masonic  Hall  stood  a  frail  relic  of  the  past  century.  Not  the  partial  gaze  of  an 
ardent  Freemason  could  have  pictured  the  building  an  imposing  or  even  a  pleasing- 
one  ;  it  was  simply  a  hall  of  meeting,  in  its  exterior  innocent  of  suggestions  of  the 
Masonic  mysteries  within.  The  Freemasons  then  in  Savannah  were  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  owning  much  real  estate,  including  the  property  on  Whitaker  and  Presi- 
dent streets,  whei'e  the  hall  was  erected.  On  the  corner  stood  the  small,  quaint- 
looking  building  (also  torn  down  with  the  hall)  which  antedated  the  hall.    In  those 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


103 


days  it  was  a  tavern,  kept  by  "Brother  Mason  Childs,"  whose  entertainment  for 
"man  and  beast"  gave  him  a  well-deserved  popularity  amona:  the  brethren.  There 
in  an  upper  room,  for  many  years,  were  the  headquarters  of  the  Freemasons.  In 
the  "  Morning  News  "  of  March  twenty-eight,  1888,  occurred  the  following  interesting 
account  of  the  old  landmark  :  — 

Tearing  Down  the  Old  Masonic  Hall,  an  Historic  Rookery.  —  The  two-story  wooden 
building  on  a  brick  basement  fronting  on  President  street  was  erected  by  tlie  meniljei's  of  Solomon's 
Lodge  in  1799,  and  was  nsed  by  the  Masonic  fraternity  nntil  1858,  when  they  removed  to  the  build- 
ing on  tlie  north-east  corner  of  Hull  and  Broughton  streets,  having  sold  the  old  site  to  the  city  in 
1856.  The  city  bought  the  property  and  that  adjoining  on  the  west,  which  was  at  one  lime  the  resi- 
dence of  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  intending  to  erect  thereon  a 
guard-house  or  police  station ;  but  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  objected  to  its  being  used  for 
that  purpose,  and  it  was  sold  to  the  late  John  J.  Kelly  for  one  thousand  dollars.  That  gentleman 
on  his  death  bequeathed  the  entire  property  to  the  Union  Society.  The  workmen  yesterday  pulled 
down  the  partitions  that  divided  the  old  lodge-room  into  bed-rooms,  and  it  once  moi'e  had  the 
appearance  of  a  meeting-i^lace  of  the  ])i'ethren.  In  the  arched  ceiling,  almost  obliterated  by  the 
numberless  coats  of  whitewash  that  had  been  put  upon  it  by  people  who  have  occupied  the  prem- 
ises, could  be  seen  the  outlines  of  the  "  Blazing  Star."  The  hooks  in  the  walls  and  marks  on  the 
floor  indicated  that  Royal  Arch  Masons  had  there  seen  for  the  first  time  the  "  Sanctum  Sanctorum," 
and  that  they  had  worked  in  tlie  cpiarries  and  showed  evidence  of  their  skill.  It  was  in  that  old 
lodge-room  that  Honorable  William  Stephens,  General  James  Jackson,  Governor  Josiah  Tattnall, 
and  other  illustrious  Georgians  and  Masons  met  in  the  early  days  of  the  then  young  State.  It 
was  there  also  that  the  Cuban  patriot,  General  Lojoez,  who  was  soon  after  garroted  in  Havana,  was 
made  a  Mason  in  1850.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  members  of  the  fratei'nity  now  living  who 
were  brought  "  to  light "  in  the  old  room,  which  to  day  will  disappear  forever.  It  is  wiih  feelings 
akin  to  regret  that  we  see  these  venerable  structures  torn  down,  while  yet  their  inner  timbers 
appear  to  be  strong  enough  to  stand  for  centuries.  They,  however,  must  make  way  for  buildings 
more  suitable  to  the  uses  of  the  present  generation.  A  noble  structure,  the  Whitefield  Building, 
will  succeed  the  old  hall,  and  the  site  is  virtually  a  Masonic  contribution  to  that  noble  chai'ity, 
the  Union  Societj' ;  for  the  land  was  the  gift  of  the  late  John  J.  Kelly,  Past  Master  of  Zerubbabel 
Lodge,  number  fifteen,  and  the  money  with  which  the  new  structure  is  to  be  erected  is  a  part  of 
the  bequest  of  the  late  William  F.  Holland,  Past  Master  of  Ancient  Landmark  Lodge,  number 
two  hundred  and  thirty-one.  The  building  will  be  a  fitting  memorial  to  George  Whitefield, 
the  founder  of  the  Bethesda  Orphan  House,  and  John  J.  Kelly  and  William  F.  Holland,  two 
members  of  the  society  whose  timely  beneficence  has  added  this  valuable  property  to  the  assets 
from  which  is  to  be  derived  an  income  for  the  support  of  the  orphans  of  the  Union  Society,  the 
present  guardian  of  Whitefield's  sacred  ti'ust  to  the  people  of  Savannah. 

Of  national  as  well  as  municipal  intex'est  is  the  history  of  Solomon's  Lodge, 
No.  1,  of  Savannah,  for  though  the  youngest  of  the  thirteen  States,  Georgia  ranks 


104 


HISTORIG  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


third  in  the  list  of  States  with  chartei-ed  lodges.  Indeed,  by  some  her  claim  to  the 
oldest  chartered  lodge  in  America  is  well  defended ;  but  after  a  careful  examination 
of  the  data  of  Freemasonry  in  America,  the  conclusion  is  reached  that  to  l)oth 
Philadelphia  and  Boston  a  priority  must  be  given.  Eighteen  years  after  the  organi- 
zation of  a  constitutional  Grand  Lodge  in  London,  in  1735,  Solomon's  Lodge  was 
chai'tered  in  Savannah.  How  much  earlier  the  lodge  was  formed  remains  a  matter 
of  doubt,  but  everything  points  to  an  early  date  succeeding  the  founding  of  the  col- 
ony. Tradition,  with  a  leaning  for  the  picturesque,  locates  the  birthplace  of  Masonry 
in  Georgia,  under  an  oak-tree  in  the  now  dead  town  of  Sunbury ,  according  to  General 
Oglethorpe,  the  honor  of  the  institution.  Charming  as  is  this  picture,  it  must  be 
rejected  wholesale,  for  facts  —  those  relentless  foes  to  romance  —  make  this  myth 
an  impossibility.  However,  the  opinion  prevails  that  Oglethorpe  himself  was  an 
earnest  Freemason.  Indeed,  there  nmst  have  been  more  than  one  prominent  Mason 
among  those  early  settlers  of  Georgia,  for  in  the  year  of  the  settlement  of  the  colony 
it  is  recorded,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in  London,  that  "Deputy  Grand 
Master  Batson  recommended  the  new  Colony  of  Georgia,  in  Noi'th  America,  to  the 
benevolence  of  the  particular  Lodges." 

The  first  meetings  of  the  lodge  in  Savannah  were  probably  held  in  the  rude  hut 
built  for  courts  of  justice  and  divine  worship.  This  then  occupied  a  part  of  the  lot 
upon  which  stands  the  present  Custom  House. 

Various  public  houses,  doubtless,  succeeded  the  hut,  foi*  they  were  the  recog- 
nized places  of  meeting  for  lodges  during  the  eighteenth  century,  until  the  record 
makes  mention  of  the  particular  tavern  on  Whitaker  and  President  streets.  The 
Masons  early  occupied  an  important  position  among  the  corporate  bodies  of  the 
town.  In  1758  they  were  mentioned  as  one  of  the  distinguished  bodies  that  received 
Henry  Ellis,  the  royal  governor  of  the  Province  of  Georgia,  upon  his  arrival  in 
Savannah. 

Prominent  pati'iots  of  the  War  of  Independence  were  enrolled  members  of  Solo- 
mon's Lodge,  for  soon  after  the  war  were  found  on  the  records  the  names  of 
Stephens,  Jackson,  Houstoun,  Stirk,  the  Habershams,  Elbert,  Cecil,  Hawley, 
Walton,  Tattnall,  McAllister,  Shad,  John  Berrien,  the  Sheftalls,  Bullock,  Wald- 
burgh,  Lillibridge,  Hammond,  and  others,  distinguished  in  the  annals  of  the  young 
Commonwealth.  Noble  has  been  the  record  of  the  lodge  of  lives  well  lived  and 
deeds  well  done  !  The  first  regular  meeting  of  which  there  is  anv  written  record  was 
in  January,  1785.    "From  that  time  to  the  present  the  brethren  have  never  failed 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


105 


to  open  the  great  lights  of  Masonry  on  every  regular  lodge  night."  Among  the 
treasures  of  the  lodge  is  an  old  Bible  presented  by  General  Oglethorpe,  with  his 
writing  upon  the  fly-leaf.  The  present  Masonic  Temple  is  situated  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Liberty  and  Whitaker  streets. 

To-day  the  local  lodges  of  Savannah  are:  Knights  Templars,  Palestine  Com- 
mandery.  No.  57  ;  R.  and  S.  M.  Ga.  Council,  No.  2 ;  Royal  Arch  Georgia  Chapter, 
No.  3. 

Master  Masons :  Solomon's 
Lodge,  No.  1;  Zerubbabel 
Lodge,  No.  15  ;  Clinton  Lodge, 
No.  54;  Ancient  Landmark 
Lodge,  No.  231;  Landrum 
Lodge,  No.  48. 

In  1801  the  Female  Orphan 
Asylum  began  a  separate  exist- 
ence. It  had  a  common  orio-in 
with  the  Union  or  St.  George's 
Society  in  1750,  the  stated  pur- 
pose of  that  society  being  the 
care  and  education  of  orphaned 
and  destitute  children,  without 
distinction  of  sex. 

The  separation  was  made 
at  the  suggestion  of  Rev.  Henry 
Holcombe,  the  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Savannah,  The  first  body  of  directors  was  composed  of  the 
following  fourteen  ladies :  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Smith,  Mrs.  Ann  Clay,  Mrs.  Jane 
Smith  ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Lamb,  secretary  ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Hunter,  treasurer  ;  Lady  Ann 
Houstoun,  Mrs.  Holcombe,  Mrs.  Hannah  McAllister,  Mrs.  Susannah  Jenkins,  Mrs. 
Ann  Moore,  Mrs.  Moore,  Miss  Rebecca  Newel,  Mrs.  Mary  Wall,  Miss  Martha 
Stephens,  trustees  or  managers  ;  Mrs.  Lydia  Myers,  matron.  In  1810,  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Georgia  granted  an  act  of  incorporation,  founded  on  a  system  of  rules  for  the 
better  government  of  the  institute.  In  1838,  the  society  had  outgrown  its  small 
quarters  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  but  its  finances  did  not  justify  a  change  for 
the  better.    Two  ladies,  by  name  Mrs.  M.  Marshall  and  Mrs.  M.  Richardsone,  vol- 


106 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


unteered  their  services  to  assist  the  board  of  managers,  ])y  a  public  collection,  to 
increase  the  funds  of  the  society.  The  present  commodious  editice  on  the  corner  of 
Bull  and  Charlton  streets  stands  a  testimonial  to  the  untirino;  zeal  of  the  two  ladies 
and  the  board  of  managers.  The  present  board  is  composed  of  the  following  ladies  : 
Mrs.  A.  Minis,  president ;  Mrs.  John  Hardee,  treasurer  ;  Miss  L.  Gilmer,  secretary  ; 
Mrs.  Charles  Lamar,  Mrs.  George  L.  Cope,  Jr.,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Sams,  Mrs.  C.  F. 
Mills,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Lathrop,  Mrs.  Woods,  Mrs.  Smith,  Mrs.  Whitehead,  Mrs.  Bow- 
man, Mrs.  Mclntyre,  Mrs.  Van  Vorst,  Mrs.  Hull,  Miss  Saussy,  Miss  E.  Read, 
Miss  Anderson. 

The  visit  of  Aaron  Burr,  in  his  official  character  of  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  in  May,  1802,  gave  the  occasion  for  certain  formal  ceremonies  and 
entertainments  in  Savannah.  May  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite  month  for  visitors 
to  enjoy  the  municipal,  as  well  as  private,  hospitality  of  Savannah's  citizens.  The 
"  Columbian  Museum  and  Advertiser "  gives  a  lengthy  account  of  this  first  visit 
of  a  Vice-President  to  Savannah. 

On  Thursday  the  twentieth  inst.  the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  was  received  on  his 
way  to  this  city  by  the  Military  and  Civil  officers  and  several  Companies  of  volunteers,  and  was 
congratulated  on  his  arrival  by  Charles  Harris,  Edward  Harden,  and  Richard  Dennis  Esqrs :  A 
Committee  on  behalf  of  the  Corporation;  and  by  Mr.  B.  Bullock,  James  Houstoun  and  George  W. 
Troup  Esqrs,  A  Committee  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Savannah.  And  on  the  Monday  following  a 
festival  was  given  in  honor  of  the  Vice-President,  by  the  citizens  of  this  place.  The  brilliancy  of 
the  entertainment,  the  number  and  re.sijectability  of  the  company,  and  the  harmony  which  univer- 
sally prevailed  havfe  never  been  exceeded,  perhaps  never  equalled,  on  any  former  occasion.  The 
following  toasts  were  given :  I.  The  United  States  of  America,  The  retreat  of  toleration  and  of  fi-ee- 
dom,  May  they  continue  to  aiford  an  Asylum  to  the  virtuous  of  all  nations.  II.  The  Soldiers  and 
Statesmen  of  76  who  made  an  Empire  of  British  dependencies.  The  Republicans  of  1800  who 
redeemed  the  Constitution.  III.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Perpetuity  to  this  illustrious 
example  of  a  Government,  founded  on  the  voluntaiy  consent  of  the  people.  IV.  Thomas  JefFei'son, 
President  of  the  United  States  —  May  his  measures  continue  to  meet  the  confidence  of  his  friends  and 
defeat  the  calumnies  of  his  enemies.  V.  The  memory  of  the  great  and  good  AVashington.  VI. 
The  officers  presiding  over  the  federal  departments  of  State —  Their  talents,  industry  and  vigilance, 
eminently  entitle  them  to  the  gratitude  of  the  jieople.  VII.  The  support  of  the  State  Governments 
in  all  their  rights,  as  the  surest  bulwark  against  anti-republican  tendencies,  and  the  iDreservation  of 
the  general  government  in  its  whole  Constitutional  vigour,  sis  the  sheet  anchor  of  our  peace  at  home 
and  safety  abroad.  VIII.  The  State  and  Government  of  Georgia.  IX.  Our  delegates  to  Con- 
gress—  May  their  late  zealous  and  patriotic  exertions  for  their  Countrie's  good  be  justly  esteemed 
and  treasured  up  in  the  hearts  of  their  Constituents.  X.  Economy  in  the  public  expenditure  and 
the  honest  jiayment  of  our  debts,  without  impairing  the  sacredness  of  public  faith.    XI.  May  those 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


107 


who  would  wish  to  dissolve  our  Union  or  to  change  its  present  republican  form  stand  undisturbed 
as  monuments  of  the  safety  with  which  error  of  opinion  may  be  tolerated  when  reason  is  left  free  to 
combat  it.  XII.  The  existing  judiciary  of  the  United  States  —  The  Judges  dependent  on  God,  their 
good  behavior  and  the  existence  of  their  offices.  XIII.  The  Militia,  Army,  and  Navy  of  the 
United  States — May  they  continue  the  prompt  defenders  of  their  Countiy,  under  the  controul  of  the 
Civil  Authorities.  XIV.  A  jealous  care  of  the  right  of  election  by  the  people.  XV.  The  memory 
of  General  Greene  —  Resioect  to  the  wisdom  of  those  sages  and  the  blood  of  those  heroes,  who 
devoted  themselves  to  the  liberties  of  their  country.  XVI.  The  memory  of  Genei-al  Oglethorpe, 
whose  arduous  toils  and  struggles  in  the  establishment  of  Georgia  entitle  him  to  our  warmest  grati- 
tude. XVII.  An  unrestrained  freedom  of  the  pi'ess,  and  universal  toleration  of  religion — Where 
there  is  equal  liberty,  justice  and  truth  will  ti'iumph  over  calumny  and  falsehood. 

Volunteer  toasts.  After  the  Vice  President  retired  —  The  Vice  President  of  the  United  States. 
After  General  Mcintosh  retired  —  General  Mcintosh.  After  General  Jackson  retired  —  General 
Jackson.  By  Mr.  Simon  Mcintosh —  The  Governor  and  State  of  New  York.  By  Captain  O.  Smith 
—  The  Republicans  of  Georgia  and  Sovith  Carolina.  By  Major  Harden  —  The  Memorable  fourth  of 
March,  1801.    After  Mr.  Telfair  retired  — Mr.  Telfair. 

The  Vice-President  left,  as  mementos  of  his  visit  to  Savannah,  two  medals, 
presented  to  the  corporation,  —  the  one  descriptive  of  the  arms  of  the  United  States 
on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  the  bust  of  President  Jefferson.  The  other  medal 
commemorated  the  capture  of  General  Burgoyne  by  General  Gates  on  one  side,  and 
on  the  other  the  1)ust  of  the  capturing  general. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  purpose  of  Aaron  Burr's  visit  to  Savannah 
was  of  a  private  nature.  During  his  stay  in  the  city,  his  headquarters  were  in  a 
small  frame-house  on  South  Broad  street,  between  Whitaker  and  Barnard  streets, 
the  home  of  his  niece,  Mrs.  Montmollin.  The  facts,  which  have  been  furnished  by 
a  member  of  the  Montmollin  family,  throw  a  romantic  light  upon  the  father  of  Don 
Carlos,  of  Spain. 

Mrs.  Montmollin,  when  quite  a  young  girl,  married  a  man  from  England,  by 
the  name  of  Dennis.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  For  some 
cause  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dennis  were  divorced,  Mr.  Dennis  carrying  olf  the  children. 
While  ti'avelling  in  a  stage-coach  in  search  of  her  children,  who  she  understood 
were  in  Charleston,  Mrs.  Dennis  met  her  future  husband,  Mr.  Montmollin,  a  colonel 
of  an  English  regiment  in  Jamaica,  who  was  at  that  time  on  a  furlough. 

Colonel  MontmoUin's  kind  and  ready  assistance  led  to  the  recovery  of  her  chil- 
dren, and  soon  Colonel  Montmollin  and  Mrs.  Dennis  were  married.  After  the 
marriage  Colonel  Montmollin  gave  his  name  to  the  children,  and  sent  them  to  the 
care  of  his  brother  in  England.    Later,  Colonel  Montmollin  and  his  brother  had 


108 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


some  disagreement.  Thus  it  was  that  Aaron  Burr,  the  uncle  of  Mrs.  MontmoUin, 
visited  Savannah,  in  the  character  of  peace-maker  in  a  family  quarrel. 

He  went  to  England,  there  visited  the  irate  brother,  and  brought  about  a 

reconciliation.   The  children  were 
n  ~     1     permitted  to  visit  their  mother  in 


Savannah,  crossing  the  ocean  in 
an  English  man-of-war  ;  but  their 
home  was  in  England.  About 
1844  the  daughter  died,  and  the 
son,  whose  original  name  was 
Dennis,  became  the  father  of  Don 
Carlos,  of  Spain,  Prince  de  M(mt- 
mollin. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Mr. 
]Montmollin,  the  father  of  Mr. 
Jno.  S.  de  Montmollin,  of  Mid- 
dlebury,  Florida  (a  grandson  of 
Colonel  Montmollin),  to  return 
to  Europe  in  1859,  and  claim 
his  own,  that  which  Don  Carlos 


THE  EXCHANGE.  now   eujoys,    but    death  inter- 

cepted. Many  parcl!^ients  and 
jewels  are  now  in  the  possession  of  ^Ir.  Jno.  S.  de  Montmollin,  bequeathals  of  his 
grandfather,  Colonel  Montmollin.  ^j^^ 

The  eighth  of  September,  1804,  was  a  day  long  remembered  in  of 
Savannah  for  the  destructiveness  of  a  storm  that  raged  furiously  from  mne  in  the 
morning  until  ten  at  night.  Verily,  the  city  was  a  scene  of  desolation.  The  steeple 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  fell  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  crushing  in  a  house, 
and  cutting  oft'  a  portion  of  a  bed  on  which  lay  a  sick  man,  fortunately  not  injuring 
him.  The  bell  was  found  unbroken  in  the  steeple,  and  was  afterward  hung  in  the 
new  Independent  Presbyterian  church,  erected  in  1817.  There  it  remained  till 
1824,  when  a  larger  bell  was  presented  to  the  congregation.  Destruction  was  not 
confined  to  the  city  limits  ;  Hutchinson's  Island  and  the  rice  plantations  were  inun- 
dated, causing  a  fearful  loss  of  life,  particularly  among  the  negroes.  Several  deaths 
were  caused  in  the  city  by  the  falling  of  houses  and  chimneys ;  twenty-four  houses, 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


109 


including  the  exchange,  the  filature,  jail,  and  the  court-house  on  the  bluff,  with 
twenty-six  liu.siness  houses  under  the  bluff,  were  injured,  and  their  stocks  of  goods 
swept  away.  Eighteen  vessels  were  swept  upon  the  wharves,  and  there  remained 
till  the  waters  subsided. 

Should  any  one  have  curiosity  regarding  the  salaries  of  the  city  officials  eighty- 
seven  years  ago,  let  him  read  the  following  :  — 

In  Council.    Savannah,  July  thirteenth,  1801. 

Resolved  that  Council  will  on  Monday  next,  the  twentieth  instant  pi'oceed  to  elect  the  following 
city  officers,  with  the  salaries  and  fees  hereto  annexed  and  that  notice  thereof  be  given  in  the  gazettes 
of  this  city.    A  Recorder  with  fees. 

A  Treasurer,  .$400  per  annum  and  fees. 

A  Clerk  of  Council,  $350  per  annum  and  fees. 

A  Clerk  of  the  Mayor's  Court  with  usual  fees. 

A  Marshal,  $350  per  annum  and  fees. 

A  Sherilf  with  usual  fees. 

A  Clerk  of  the  Market  with  usual  fee?. 

A  Messenger,  $150  per  annum  and  fees. 

A  Surveyor  with  usual  fees. 

A  Grave  digger  and  Keeper  of  the  Grave  yard.    With  usual  fees  and  a  salary  of  .$75.00  per 
annum  for  keeping  the  graveyard  closed,  clean  and  in  good  condition. 
Extract  from  the  Minutes. 

THOMAS  PITT, 

Clerk  of  Council. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  January,  1805,  the  following  resolution  is  found  in  the 
Minutes  of  that  date :  "  Eesolved  that  the  Clerk  do  procure  a  Screw-press  for  the 
City  Seal,  the  expense  of  which  will  be  defrayed  by  Council."  This  was  probably 
the  first  seal  made  for  the  use  of  the  city.  Unfortunately,  no  impress  of  it  has  been 
found. 

The  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  passed  uneventfully  in  the  quiet  little 
town  of  Savannah.  No  buildings  of  note  were  erected  till,  in  1811,  there  arose  the 
classic  structure  of  the  old  United  States  Bank,  a  fitting  home  for  one  of  the 
branches  of  that  historic  banking  company. 

Some  two  or  three  and  twenty  years  later,  when  the  removal  of  the  deposits 
by  the  President,  Andrew  Jackson,  called  forth  such  bursts  of  parliamentary  can- 
f  nonading,  and  the  three  intellectual  giants  of  the  age.  Clay,  Webster,  and  Callioun, 
stood,  for  the  first  time,  united  in  opposition  to  Andrew  Jackson,  the  little  city-by- 


110 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the-sea  lifted  its  voice  in  the  daily  papers  and  supported  the  old  hero,  "  Ironsides," 
Avho  defiantly  cried,  "  I  am  here,  who  have  done  this  thing  against  me,  against  me 
turn  your  weapons  !  " 

That  same  year,  or  the  early  months  of  1812,  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Chatham 
Academy  building.  Tiie  doubt  exists  of  the  exact  date,  from  the  destruction  of  the 
Academy  records  in  the  great  fire  of  1820.  Chatham  Academy  was  launched  into 
being  on  the  first  of  February,  1788,  by  an  act  of  the  Georgia  Legislature,  then 
holding  its  sessions  in  Augusta,  under  the  auspices  of  a  board  of  trustees  appointed 
by  the  State,  consisting  of  Messrs.  John  Houstoun,  John  Habersham,  William 
Gibbons,  Sen.,  William  Stephens,  Richard  Wylly,  James  Houstoun,  Samuel  Elbert, 
Seth  John  Cuthbert,  and  Jose[)h  Clay,  Jr.  By  the  same  act,  establishing  an  academy 
in  Chatham  county,  was  the  property  of  Bethesda  College,  or  Orphan  House,  vested 
in  Selina,  Countess  of  Huntington,  —  in  obedience  to  the  trust  of  the  late  George 
Whitefield.  The  Academy  was  thus  from  its  inception  associated  with  Bethesda 
College,  and,  according  to  the  quotation  already  made  in  connection  with  Bethesda 
from  the  "  Georgia  Gazette  "  of  June  third,  1788,  we  have  seen  that  the  trustees  of 
Chatham  county,  unable  to  carry  out,  at  that  time,  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by  the 


sister  institutions,  for  both  were  endowed.    The  one,  the  property,  originally,  of 
George  Whitefield,  bequeathed  by  him  to  Lady  Huntingdon,  in  trust,  for  "  literary  * 
and  benevolent  purposes  ; "  the  other,  the  property  of  the  Reverend  Bartholomew 


Legislature,  re- 
commended Beth- 


esda as  an  institu- 


THE    UNITED    STATES  BANK. 


tion  of  learning  for 
youth.  This  fur- 
nishes one  gleam 
of  light  from  the 
obscurity  of  the 
last  century  con- 
cerning the  work- 
ings of  Chatham 
Academy.  Lione 
sense,  Bethesda 
a  n  d  C  h  a  t  h  a  ni 
Academy  were 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


111 


Zouberbuhler,  devised  by  him  for  "benevolent  purposes."  The  Legislature  pro- 
posed to  make  a  practical  use  of  Mr.  Zouberbuhler's  property,  by  placing  it  in 
the  hands  of  the  trustees  appointed  for  the  projected  academy,  with  this  proviso, 
"  that  nothing  herein  contained  shall  bar  the  claim  of  any  person  who  is  legally  the 
heir  of  the  said  Zouberbuhler."  Evidently  the  heirs  were  not  satisfied  with  the 
action  of  the  Legislature,  for  on  December  eighth,  1791,  the  Legislature  passed  an 
act  to  "quiet  the  heirs  and  representatives  of  the  Reverend  Bartholomew  Zouber- 
buhler in  and  to  the  real  estate  in  the  Counties  of  Chatham  and  Glynn,  sulyect 
however  to  an  annuity  of  one  hundred  pounds,  for  four  years  to  be  paid  by  the  heirs 
to  the  trustees  of  the  Chatham  Academy,  to  be  applied  by  them  and  their  Suc- 
cessors in  office  to  the  support  of  the  Academy,  and  on  failure  thereof  the  Trus- 
tees were  empowered  to  sue  for  and  recover  the  same  in  any  of  the  courts  of  law 
within  the  State."  This  gives  additional  light.  The  trustees  were  powerless  to  act, 
owing  to  the  resti'aint  cast  by  the  heirs  of  the  Zouberbuhler  estate.  Theirs  was 
a  nominal  trust  for  twenty  years,  their  practical  influence  being  given  to  the  insti- 
tution of  Bethesda.  In  1808,  December  twenty-third,  an  act  passed  by  the  Legis- 
lature shows  in  what  way  the  trustees  reaped  their  reward. 

Ill  order  that  Bethesda  property  should  be  made  useful  and  applied  as  nearly  as  possible  to  its 
original  purpose,  the  President  of  the  Union  Society,  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the 
Savannah  Poor  House  .and  Hospital,  the  Chairman  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Chatham  Academy 
and  the  Mayor  of  the  City  should  be  authorized  to  sell  and  disjjose  of  all  the  real  and  personal  jirop- 
erty  of  Bethesda  College  and  Orphan  House  Estate  on  the  most  advantageous  terms  that  could  be 
obtained  for  the  same,  and  after  the  Trustees  of  the  Orphan  House  had  retained  a  sufficiency  to  pay 
any  first  debts  that  were  due  and  owing  fi-om  said  Orphan  House  Estate,  and  also  have  retained  a 
sufiicient  sum  to  pay  debts  that  might  be  in  litigation  until  decided,  to  divide  the  remaining  net  pro- 
ceeds as  follows :  one  fifth  to  the  Savannah  Poor-House  and  Hosjiital  Society,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  sum,  one  half  to  the  Union  Society  in  Savannah,  and  the  other  half  to  the  Chatham  Academy  to 
aid  their  funds  for  the  instruction  of  youth  generally.  In  connection  with  this  donation,  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  Chatham  Academy  were  requested  to  support  and  educate  at  least  five  orphan 
children  from  its  funds,  as  soon  as  the  property  vested  in  the  institution  should  be  received. 

In  1810,  funds  sufficient  having  accumulated  to  warrant  the  building  of  an  acad- 
emy, the  City  Council,  on  the  joint  application  of  the  trustees  of  the  Chatham  Acad- 
emy and  the  President  of  the  L^nion  Society,  passed  an  ordinance  on  the  thirtieth 
of  April,  "granting  five  lots  in  Brown  Ward  as  a  site  for  a  structure  to  be  erected 
by  the  two  institutions  for  educational  jiurposes,  and  no  other  purposes  whatsoever; 


112 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


bounded  by  South  Broad  street  on  the  north,  by  Drayton  street  on  the  east,  by  a  lane 
on  the  south,  and  by  Bull  street  on  the  west,  containing  three  hundred  feet,  from  east 
to  west,  and  ninety  feet  in  depth." 

The  ordinance  stipulated  as  a  condition  precedent  to  the  grant  that  the  Acad- 
emy trustees  should  relinquish  their  right  to  a  piece  of  ground  on  the  South  Com- 
mon, deeded  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  on  the  thirteenth  of  June,  1803,  as  a  site 
for  an  academy. 

In  the  Minutes  of  Council,  on  the  fifth  of  June,  1812,  the  following  entry 
appears  :  — 

Aldermen  Charlton  Duke  and  Pettibone.  A  committee  to  take  into  consideration  the  petition 
of  the  Trustees  of  the  Chatham  Academy,  and  of  the  Union  Society  rej^orted,  and  it  was  resolved,  — 
tliat  the  recorder  be  directed  to  prepare  a  lease  from  the  Corporation  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Academy 
and  the  President  and  the  Vice  President  of  the  Union  Society,  for  a  term  of  fifty  years,  of  five  ad- 
ditional lots  in  Brown  Ward,  Viz.  Numbers,  Seventeen,  Eigliteen,  Nineteen,  including-  the  interme- 
diate lane  for  tlie  jjurjjose  (jf  extending  the  limits  of  the  Academy  yard,  which  lease  shall  specifically 
state  that  the  said  extension  of  ground  shall  revert  to  the  Corporation  upon  the  failure  of  the  bodies 
to  whicli  it  is  conveyed  to  appropriate  the  said  ground  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and  tlie  said  title 
shall  contain  the  above  provision,  as  a  consideration  of  the  deed,  and  provided  also  that  the  said 
societies  do  paj'  the  expenses  incident  on  the  said  conveyance. 

In  December,  1859,  the  lease  nearing  the  termination,  the  City  Council  passed 
an  ordinance  granting 

The  leased  lots  with  the  lane  enclosed  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Academy  and  their  successors,  on 
condition  that  they  should  receive,  for  the  purpose  of  education,  and  teach  annually  at  least  five 
scholars  free  of  cliarge,  bestowing  upon  them  like  care,  attention  and  instruction  with  that  extended 
to  pay  scholars,  and  stipulating  that  the  lots  and  enclosed  portion  of  the  lease  should  revei't  to  the 
City  and  again  become  a  part  and  j^arcel  of  its  domain,  if  ever  the  same  sliould  be  appropriated  by 
the  Trustees  or  their  successors  to  any  purpose  other  than  tlie  education  of  Youth,  or  whenever  they 
shall  refuse  to  educate  annually,  free  of  charge,  at  least  five  children,  to  be  selected  from  the  pupils 
of  the  Massie  School,  by  the  Commissioners  or  by  the  City  Council,  in  case  the  Massie  School  sliall 
be  discontinued  or  cease  to  exist. 

Chatham  Academy  building,  including  that  portion  owned  by  the  Union  Society 
on  the  west  (till  lately  known  as  the  Pavilion),  was  put  up  under  the  direction  of  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  two  societies,  of  which  Mr.  John  Bolton  appears  to 
have  been  the  chairman.      The  basement  walls  to  the  first  story  were  laid  with 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURE SQUE  SAVANNAH 


113 


heavy  rock  ballast,  probably  brought  from  a})roacl  in  the  vessels  coming  to  Savannah. 
They  are  of  great  thickness  and  strength. 


Chatham  Academy.  The  undersigned  Committee  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Chatham  Academy 
are  happy  to  announce  to  their  fellow  Citizens  and  the  public  that  the  Academy  will  be  opened  in 
the  elegant  and  convenient  edifice  lately  erected  in  this  city  for  the  i-eception  of  pupils  in  the  various 
branches  of  literature  proposed.  The  Trustees  have  appointed  as  principal  of  the  Academ)'  Mr. 
James  D.  Fyler,  a  gentleman  highly  recommended  and  well-known,  possessing  every  qualification 
for  that  office,  not  only  in  extensive  erudition,  but  in  experience  as  a  skilful  instructor.  The  parents 
or  guardians  of  pupils  may  be  assured  that  every  attention  will  be  paid  by  ]\Ir.  Fyler,  as  superinten- 
dent of  the  seminary,  to  the  morals  of  the  youth  committed  to  its  charge. 

Accordingly,  on  the  fifth  of  January,  1813,  at  noon,  the  building  was  thrown 
open  for  the  reception  of  scholars,  and  the  ladies  and  citizens  of  Savannah  generally 
were  invited  to  attend.  Henry  KoUock,  D.D.,  delivered  an  eloquent  address  on  the 
occasion.  William  Stephen,  the  president  of  the  board,  in  his  report,  stated  that 
"two  hundred  and  nineteen  students  were  in  attendance,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  four  girls  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  boys,  forming  a  galaxy  of  as  fine  youths 
as  in  any  country." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Union  Society,  held  in  the  Georgia  Hotel  on  the  twenty - 
seventh  of  May,  1813,  the  following  communication  was  transmitted  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Chatham  Academy  :  — 


114 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Resolved  that  the  Society  will  sell  and  convey  to  the  Chatham  Academy  all  the  right,  title, 
interest  and  property  of  this  Society  in  the  lands  and  buildings  erected  by  the  institution  and  the 
Chatham  Academy,  except  the  western  wing,  reserving  all  the  privileges  to  the  said  western  wing  as 
they  now  are,  for  the  sum  of  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  dollars.  Resolved  that  the 
president  and  vice-president  be  directed  to  make  titles  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Chatham  Academy 
agreeable  to  the  foregoing  resolution,  if  the  Academy  agree  to  the  same. 

The  present  academy  occupies  the  entire  building,  with  the  main  entrance  on 
Bull  street. 

Early  in  the  year  1887  the  trustees  of  Chatham  Academy  purchased  from  the 
Union  Society  the  original  western  wing  (the  adjoining  building,  for  many  years  used 
as  a  hotel),  converting  it  into  class-rooms  for  the  use  of  the  public  schools.  From 
it  were  made  five  capacious  and  well-ventilated  school-rooms,  a  large  room  for  the 
board,  an  office  for  the  superintendent,  and  a  beautiful  hall,  called,  by  a  formal  reso- 
lution of  the  board,  Hunter  Hall,  in  compliment  to  Mr.  William  Hunter,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Chatham  Academy.  When  the  work  upon  the 
eastern  and  central  portions  of  the  building  is  completed,  it  may  safely  be  asserted 
that  Savannah  will  be  in  possession  of  a  school  edifice  equalled  by  none  in  the  State, 
and  perhaps  surpassed  by  none  in  the  South. 


CHAPTER  YII. 


THE  happy  years  of  unhistoric  note,  of  (]uiet  town-life,  in  Savannah,  were 
approaching  an  end,  to  be  followed  by  three  years  of  turmoil  and  excitement. 
Though  not  attacked  during  the  War  of  1812,  Savannah's  proximity  to  the  sea  made 
her  liable  to  an  assault  at  any  hour.    This  proved  a  daily  cause  of  fear  and  unrest. 

In  the  last  month  of  the  year  1811  the  first  shock  of  earthquake  experienced  in 
Georgia,  like  a  premonition  of  coming  storm,  caused  much  excitement  in  the  city, 
the  rising  war-cloud  had  already  cast  its  gloom  over  the  community.  On  Thurs- 
day, the  twenty-eighth  of  January,  the  notice  appeared  in  the  Savannah  "Repub- 
lican "  "  that  Thursday  next  will  be  a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  in  this  city,  to  beseech  the  Father  of  Mercies  to  avert  from  this 
nation  the  calamities  which  threaten  it.  Service  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning." 
From  this  time  meetings  were  held  by  citizens  in  the  interest  of  the  war  question,  to 
discuss  the  proper  means  of  protecting  the  city.  The  young  men  met  in  the  Court 
House  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  their  interests  in  the  formation  of  a  volunteer  com- 
pany. William  D.  Stone  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  Abraham  Sheftall 
secretary.  War  became  the  daily  topic  of  conversation.  The  arrival  of  Major- 
General  Thomas  Pinckney,  of  the  Southern  Division  of  the  Army,  caused  a  ripple  of 
excitement  in  the  city,  and  preparations  wei-e  made  to  entertain  him.  According 
to  the  Savannah  "  Republican"  of  Tuesday,  June  twenty-second,  1812, — 

Major-General  Thomas  Pinckney  of  the  Southern  Division  arrived  in  town  yesterday,  by 
land  from  Charleston  —  accompanied  by  C'olonel  Morris  his  aid-de-camp.  Soon  after  his  arrival  the 
Chatham  Artillery  and  the  Rangers  repaired  to  the  front  of  his  lodging  and  greeted  his  visit  with  a 
salute.  In  the  afternoon  the  General  in  company  with  several  other  gentlemen,  took  a  view  of  the 
boundaries  of  the  city.  This  morning  he  proceeded  down  the  river  to  inspect  Fort  Jackson  below 
Five  Fathom  in  a  barge  belonging  to  the  revenue  cutter  James  Madison.  Captain  Brooks  of  the 
cutter  acted  as  cockswain  on  the  occasion,  and  Messrs.  Hand,  Nichols,  Lightbourn,  and  Williams 
(Masters  of  Vessels),  dressed  in  blue  jackets  and  white  trousers  as  oarsmen.  To  the  citizens  of 
Savannah  and  the  Country.    The  committee  of  superintendence  have  adopted  a  plan  of  fortification 

(115) 


116 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


for  Fort  Wayne  and  are  readj-  to  receive  and  put  to  work  immediately  any  laborers  that  may  be 
sent  by  Patriotic  Citizens  conformable  to  the  resolution  of  the  city. 


J.  B.  REED,  Chairman  Aldermen. 


PROCTOR     ^  Committee 
CHARLTON  I  of 
DUKE  J  Supe7-intendence. 


Fort  Jackson,  just  mentioned,  named  in  honor  of  General  James  Jackson,  and 
previous  to  that  known  as  Mud  Fort,"  is  about  two  miles  below  the  city.  The 
land  was  originally  conveyed  to  the  United  States  by  Nicholas  Turnbull,  by  a  deed 
dated  the  sixteenth  of  May,  1808.  Jurisdiction  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by 
the  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  making  a  general  cession  of  juris- 
diction, approved  on  December  twenty-second,  1808.  It  was  occupied  during  the 
War  of  1812  by  a  detachment  of  the  Chatham  Artillery.  Destroyed  by  fire  about 
1833,  it  was  not  rebuilt  until  1842.    It  Is  now  known  as  Fort  Oglethorpe. 

The  war-cloud  culminated  before  midsummer.  The  mails  of  the  twenty-fifth  of 
June  bronjjht  the  news  to  Savannah  of  the  declaration  of  war  against  Enffland, 
passed  by  the  National  Senate  by  a  majority  of  twelve.  This  led  to  the  immediate 
departure  of  General  Pinckney,  who,  however,  had  hud  time  to  mature  plans  for  the 
fortification  of  Savannah,  according  to  the  following  advertisement :  — 

Whereas,  Major  General  Thomas  Pinckney  has  determined  to  cause  to  be  built  immediately 
on  the  Scite  of  Fort  Wayne  such  works  as  are  deemed  advisable,  and  will  adopt  such  other  meas- 
ures recommendatory  of  its  enlargement,  as  in  his  judgment  may  seem  proper,  And  whereas  the 
Major  General  has  recommended  to  the  City  Council,  to  direct  their  attention  to  the  ei'ection  of  such 
works  on  the  south  common  agreeably  to  a  plan  pointed  out  and  explained  as  of  gi'eat  importance  to 
the  protection  of  the  City. 

Resolved  that  the  Committee  of  Council  aj^pointed  for  the  purpose  of  superintending  the 
woi'ks  intended  to  be  erected  in  this  city  by  the  corporation  and  the  citizens  of  Savannah,  Thereby 
adopt  the  General's  recommendation  and  now  call  upon  the  citizens  to  conti'ibute  their  aid  and 
furnish  the  laborers  subscribed  by  them,  to  commence  the  works  to  be  erected  on  the  south  common, 
which  will  be  under  the  direction  of  Captain  McRae  as  engineer. 


J.  B.  READ  Chairman 

G.  V.  PROCTOR 

T.  U.  P.  CHARLTOX 


Committee  of  Superintendence. 


There  was  at  the  time  quite  a  colony  of  Frenchmen  in  Savannah,  for  the  follow- 
ing call  to  arms  occurs  in  the  Savannah  "  Republican  "  of  June  twenty-seventh  :  — ■ 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


117 


Avis  anx  FranQais  de  Savannah.  Messieurs  les  Franyais  qui  ont  souscrit  pour  se  foi-mer  en 
eompagnie,  soit  i)revenus  que  la  comite  a  fait  les  demarches  necessaires  aupres  des  authorites  et  qu'en 
consequence  la  nomination  des  officiers  pour  conmiander  la  ditte  eompagnie  aura  lieu  Lundy  pro- 
chain  29  du  Court  a  10  heures  du  matin  au  palais  de  Justice  (Court  House)  en  presence  de  deux 
juges  de  paix  et  cetera.  Conformement  aux  lois  relatives  a  Torganisation  de  la  milice.  jSIessieurs 
les  Frangais  qui  n"ont  pas  encore  souscrit  et  qui  desirent  se  reunir  a  cette  eompagnie  sont  invites  de 
se  transporter  chez  Mr  Sommieres  chez  qui,  la  liste  de  souscription  est  deposee  de  se  reunir  F^undy 
prochain  pour  la  nomination  des  officiers  —  Savannah  —  le  27  Juin  1812  — 

Turn  for  a  moment  from  these  gloomy  portents  and  read  of  the  formation  of  a 
peaceful  and  benevolent  institution  in  the  midst  of  the  active  preparations  for  war, 
— The  Hibernian  Society. 

The  oldest  Irish  organization  in  Georgia,  and  one  of  the  most  substantial  in  the 
United  States,  is  the  Hiliernian  Society,  of  Savannah,  which  was  established  on  the 
seventeenth  of  March,  1(S12.  Its  origin,  purposes,  and  achievements  are  briefly 
outlined  in  the  following  letter,  which  was  written  to  supply  certain  material  for 
the  oration  delivered  by  the  Honorable  Henry  R.  Jackson  on  the  seventeenth  of 
March,  1887,  the  occasion  of  the  society's  seventy-tifth  anniversary  :  — 

Savannah,  Ga.,  second  Mai-ch,  1887. 

Hon.  Henry  R.  Jackson,  Savannah :  — 

Dear  Sir,  —  In  answer  to  your  request  for  such  information  as  I  possessed  touching  the  early 
history  of  the  Hibernian  Society,  and  the  reasons  which  led  to  its  establishment,  I  subjoin  some  data, 
gathered  largely  from  conversations  with  President  Guilmartin,  who,  because  of  his  long  association 
with  the  society,  and  with  many  of  its  founders,  is  jjerhaps  better  advised  concerning  its  past  than 
any  other  of  our  members. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  jn-esent  centurj-,  when  Savannah  had  a  considerable  direct  trade  with 
Europe,  nnpi'incipled  shipmasters  brought  out  many  Irishmen,  who,  knowing  nothing  of  American 
geography  or  climate,  were  easily  misled  into  the  belief  that  any  one  portion  of  the  United  States 
was  equally  as  well  suited  to  them  as  any  other,  and  that  should  a  change  of  base  become  desirable, 
it  could  be  effected  as  readily  and  as  speedily  in  America  as  in  the  old  country.  Landed  here  with- 
out money  or  friends,  the  immigrants  found  out  too  late  that  manual  labor,  upon  which  alone  many 
of  them  depended  for  a  livelihood,  was  performed  chiefly  by  slaves.  Disappointed,  homesick,  and 
ignorant  of  the  sanitary  and  hygienic  precautions  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  health  in  this 
climate,  and  destitute  of  the  means  to  move  away,  large  numbers  of  these  men  periodically  fell 
victims  to  the  fevers  which  were  more  generally  prevalent  then  than  now. 

To  aid  such  unfortunates,  and  to  supply  the  wherewithal  for  their  removal  to  other  parts  of  the 
country  better  adapted  to  their  needs,  were  the  fimdamental  reasons  of  the  Hibernian  Society's 
institution.  The  founders  of  the  society,  believing  that  the  jDroraotion  of  harmony  and  sociability 
among  its  members  would  be  a  charity  not  less  worthy  than  the  aid  of  their  distressed  fellow-coun- 


118 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


trynien,  made  provisinn  for  both  objects,  neither  one  of  which  has  been  lost  sight  of  during  the 
many  years  of  the  society's  existence.  Thus,  while  the  distribution  of  alms  has  always  been  made 
to  the  extent  of  tlie  societj^'s  means,  a  constitutional  obligation  lias  rested  on  the  members  to  dine 
together  on  each  anniversary ;  and  this  obligation  has  been  faithfully  observed,  except  on  the  anni- 
versary of  1863,  when  the  condition  of  the  country,  from  the  effects  of  tlie  war,  precluded  the  idea 
of  a  convivial  celebration. 

The  Society's  long  and  unbroken  career  is  undoubtedly  due,  in  large  measure,  if  not  wholly,  to 
the  constitutional  clause  prohibiting  the  discussion  of  pailisan  jjolitics  or  sectarian  religion  at  its 
meetings.  The  founders,  aiming,  primarily,  at  the  establishment  of  a  fund  to  relieve  distress  among 
their  countrymen,  wisely  determined  that  that  object  was  attainable  only  through  an  organization 
into  which  Irishmen  of  everj-  shade  of  political  and  religious  faith  could  enter  with  the  certainty  that 
their  most  cherished  principles  would  be  respected.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  from  1812  down  to  the 
jjresent  day  no  single  rule  of  the  society  has  been  more  loj'ally  obeyed,  or  has  more  efticiently 
achieved  its  purpose,  than  this  one ;  and  this  conservatism  seems  too  wisely  founded  and  deeply 
rooted  to  lose  its  strength  in  the  future. 


Very  respectfully, 

CHARLES  F.  PRENDERGAST, 

Secretary. 

The  society's  rules  limit  the  number  of  its  active  members  to  one  hundred,  and 
prohibit  the  admission  of  persons  who  are  not  of  Irish  birth  or  extraction.  Its  con- 
dition in  all  respects  is  more  flourishing  now  than  ever  before,  and  its  usefulness 
promises  to  grow  with  increase  of  years. 

Its  present  officers  are  :  — 

Peter  W.  Meldrim,  President. 

John  R.  Dillon,  Vice-President. 

Jordan  F.  Brooks,  Treasurer  and  Marshal. 

Charles  F.  Prendergast,  Secretary. 

John  M.  Hogan,  Assistant  Secretary. 

James  Ward,  Slandard-Bearer. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1812,  was  made  a  gala  day  in  the  city.  Extensive  celebra- 
tions were  held  to  commemorate  the  birthday  of  the  nation's  existence.  In  the 
language  of  the  time,  —  rather  l)rilliant  rhetoric,  —  let  us  read  of  the  city  upon  that 
national /e<e  day  :  "  The  dawn  was  greeted  by  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  unfurling  of 
the  starry  standard  of  our  country,  and  the  display  of  the  soldiery  by  sons  ready  to 
defend  it.    Orations,  highly  impressive  and  eloquent,  commemorative  of  the  occasion, 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


119 


were  delivered  at  ten  and  twelve  o'clock  by  George  W.  Owens,  Esq.,  orator  for  the 
citif-ens,  and  William  Leigh  Pierce,  Esq.,  orator  of  the  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards  ; 
appropriate  salutes  were  fired  throughout  the  day  by  the  Military  and  from  Fort 
Jackson,  and  the  day  was  closed  with  that  harmony  and  good  order  which  should 
ever  characterize  the  votaries  of  freedom  and  independence."  A  rich  and  elegant 
dinner  at  the 


Exchange 
Coifee  House 
was  served 
f  o  r  the  "  r  e- 
s  p  e  c  t  a  b  1  e 
Kepublican 
citizens,"  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  S.  G.  Bunch,  of  the 
Exchange,  a  well-known  caterer, 
whose  savory  dishes  tickled  the 
palates   of  the  worthy  citizens. 

Not  only  the  "  respectable  Republican  citizens,"  but  the  Republican  Blues,  the 
Chatham  Rangers,  and  the  Chatham  Hussars  had  their  special  separate  entertain- 
ments, where  good  cheer  and  mirth  reigned. 

The  victories  of  American  arms  in  Northern  waters  towards  the  close  of  the 
year  caused  joy  in  Savannah.  Council  convened  in  extra  session  on  Monday, 
December  twenty-first,  1812,  to  record  the  following  :  — 


Whereas  Council  are  anxious  to  evidence  their  joy  and  exultation,  and  that  the  citizens  of 
Savannah  should  participate  in  common  with  their  fellow-citizens,  in  the  expression  of  gratitude  for 
the  signal  victories  achieved  by  our  Naval  forces,  over  those  of  our  common  enemy,  and  their  warm 
approbation  of  the  conduct  of  the  respec^tive  commanders  of  our  victorious  ships  of  war,  viz  :  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Hull,  of  the  frigate  Constellation  in  the  cajitvu-e  of  the  British  frigate  Guerrier ;  Captain 
James  Jones  of  the  slooji-of-war  Frolic,  of  much  superior  force  to  his  own  ship ;  and  Commodore 
Decatur  of  the  frigate  United  States,  in  the  capture  of  the  British  Frigate,  Macedonian ;  be  it 
therefore  Resolved,  that  Friday  the  first  of  January  next  be  recommended  to  the  citizens  of  Savannah 
to  be  set  apart  for  the  expression  of  their  gratitude  to  the  Supreme  Being,  for  the  aforesaid  signal  vic- 
tories and  the  high  sense  they  entertain  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  the  said  Naval  Commanders,  their 
officers,  and  crews,  and  also  for  the  general  joy  which  these  naval  victoi'ies  have  produced  upon  our 
Citizens. 


120 


HISTOniC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  demonstration  took  place  on  New  Year's  day  of  1813.  On  the  fourth  of 
Januaiy  Council  met  and  recorded  :  — 

The  Maj'or  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  Savannali,  anxious  to  evince  respect  for  the  gallant 
iilHcers  and  brave  crews  who  a(;hieved  the  glorious  A'ictories,  splendid  and  honorable  to  the  Ameri- 
can Navy,  invited  tlie  fellow  citizens  to  celebrate  on  the  opening  of  the  year,  the  tiiumph  of  the 
infant  Navy,  of  the  Republic.  In  conformity  to  the  arrangements  of  the  Committee  of  Council,  the 
procession,  when  formed  constituted  tlie  most  brilliant  in  military  appearance  ever  witnessed  in  the 
city.  The  citizens  having  on  the  occasion  evinced  a  warmth  of  national  feeling  highly  honoi^able  to 
the  American  ciiaracter.  Tlie  Mayor  and  Aldermen  beg  leave  to  tender  their  sincere  thanks  to  every 
individual  who,  in  respect  to  naval  heroes  aided  in  the  celebration  of  great  exploits.  Resolved  that 
the  thanks  of  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  city  of  Savannah  be  and  they  are  hereby  tendered  to 
the  otficers  of  the  Volunteer  Corps  who  united  with  their  fellows.  Resolved  that  thanks  be  tendered 
to  the  orator  of  the  day,  for  liis  animated  and  American  address  to  the  peojile,  to  the  Committee  of 
Arrangements  for  the  ability  and  elegance  and  harmony  of  the  public  assembly,  'the  devices  and 
decorations  of  the  City  Hall. 

In  conformity  to  the  resolution  of  the  City  Council  passed  the  thirty-first  of 
May,  1813,  requesting  the  meeting  of  the  citizens  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds 
to  he  appropriated  to  the  defence  of  the  city,  the  citizens  convened  the  second  of 
June  at  the  Exchange,  Honorable  William  Stephens  being  called  to  the  chair, 
and  James  M.  Wayne  acting  as  secretary. 

It  was  unanimously  Resolved  that  it  is  the  wish  and  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  the  sum 
of  four  thousand  dollars  be  raised  by  assessment,  for  the  pui'jjose  of  efl'ectually  defending  the  city 
against  the  attacks  of  the  enemy. 

Resolved,  tliat  John  Bolton,  James  Johnston,  John  Cumming,  James  Bilbo,  Frederick 
Herb,  and  John  Eppinger  Senior  be  appointed  a  committee  to  join  with  a  Committee  of  the  City 
Council,  in  raising  and  disbursing  the  said  sum.  In  accordance  witli  these  resolutions,  the  joint 
committee  reported  the  following  schedule  as  a  just  assessment,  to  be  obtained  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  such  funds,  to  wit,  on  all  cotton  and  rice  owned  in  the  city  of  Savannah  ten  cents,  on  the 
hundred  dollai's,  value.  On  real  property  forty  per  cent,  of  the  citj'^  tax.  On  slaves  not  tradesmen 
thirty  cents  each,  on  slaves,  tradesmen,  forty  cents  each,  on  merchandise  forty  per  cent  city  tax, 
on  carriages  of  every  description  forty  i^er  cent,  city  tax.  On  white  polls,  eighty  cents  each.  On 
professions,  forty  per  cent,  on  city  tax ;  on  colored  polls,  forty  per  cent  on  citj'  tax  —  On  Planter's 
Bank,  five  hundred  dollars,  —  On  all  forms  of  factors  and  commission  —  Merchants  whose  taxes  to 
the  city  do  not  amount  to  seventy  five  dollars,  which  at  forty  per  cent  is  thirty  dollars,  shall  pay  as 
much  in  addition  to  the  above  scale  of  assessment  as  will  make  the  payment  thirty  dollars ;  or  in 
lieu  thereof  two  per  cent  on  the  amount  of  their  commission  at  the  option  of  the  party. 

On  lawyers  and  practising  physicians,  the  same  scale  as  the  factors  and  commission  merchants. 
Resolved  that  Mr.  Herb  and  Mr.  Bilbo  be  a  committee  of  the  citizens  to  join  the  United  Committees 


HISTORIC 


AND  I'WTURESQUE 


SA  VANNAH 


121 


of  officers,  which  report  being  read  and  agreed  to,  Council  Resolved,  that  the  Cause  for  which  the 
above  Assessment  was  recommended  being  of  the  first  importance  to  the  safety  of  this  City,  it  is 
hoped  and  expected  that  all  citizens  earnest  in  the  defence  of  this  place,  will  promptly,  and  without 
Delay  pay,  at  the  call  of  the  persons  ajipointed  to  receive  the  amount  of  the  recommended  assess- 
ments, such  sums  as  will  appear  due  by  the  certificate  of  the  City  Treasurer.  That  in  the  opinion 
of  this  Board,  the  Planter's  Bank  ought  patriotically  to  advance  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and 
the  Agency  for  the  Augusta  Bank,  one  hundred  dolhirs. 

Resolved  that  the  persons  Appointed  to  receive  the  above  monies,  do  report  to  the  Mayor,  the 
amount  of  money  received,  and  all  defalcations  (if  such  thing  can  happen),  arising  from  the  non- 
payment of  the  said  recommended  and  voluntary  assessment,  and  that  the  said  money  be  deposited 
in  the  treasury  of  the  City,  for  the  express  purpose  of  being  exjiended  agreeably  to  certain  resolu- 
tions passed  at  the  town  meeting. 

At  the  meeting  on  July  twenty-ninth,  1813,  Council  passed  the  resolution  "that  a 
committee,  to  be  styled  the  '  Committee  of  Vigilance,'  to  consist  of  an  alderman  and 
two  or  more  respectable  citizens,  be  appointed  for  the  dift'event  wards  of  the  city  to 
carry  into  effect  the  act  of  Assembly  against  idle  and  disorderly  persons  having  no 
visible  estate  or  lawful  employment  in  this  city,  or  who  may  hereafter  come  here." 

During  the  summer  of  1813  the  arch  marauder.  Sir  George  Cockburn,  in  com- 
mand of  the  British  fleet  in  Southern  waters,  carried  on  a  petty  slave-trade.  His 
headquarters  for  the  following  winter  were  at  Dungeness  House,  on  Cumberland 
Island.  From  thence  his  marauders  spread  along  the  neighboring  Georgia  coast  a 
wide  track  of  desolation  and  alarm.  Savannah  was  much  agitated  by  his  reported 
appearance  at  Bonaventure. 

On  the  sixth  of  May  1814,  The  Mayor  convened  Council  to  lay  before  them  two  letters 
received  by  him  to  wit;  one  from  John  Ross  Esq.,  dated  St.  Mary's  the  third  of  May  infoi'ming  him 
that  the  enemy's  squadron  was  off  St.  Maiy's  with  troops  on  board  provided  with  a  number  of  barges 
for  landing,  and  another  from  Captain  Will  Jones,  commanding  tlie  troops  of  the  United  States, 
dated  Fort  Wayne  the  fifth  of  May,  notifying  that  he  had  received  an  express  from  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  United  States  at  Point  Petre  on  St.  Mary's  river,  with  simihir  information.  Appre- 
hending that  the  design  be  against  the  city,  he  was  ordered  to  make  all  possible  arrangements 
against  the  surprise  and  be  in  readiness  to  march,  at  a  moment's  warning  to  Point  Petre.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  information  being  laid  before  Council  b}^  His  Honor  the  Mayor  that  the  British  Squad- 
ron is  off  the  port  of  St.  Mary's  and  had  been  sounding  the  harbor  with  about  two  hXandred  troops, 
and  also  the  printed  proclamation  by  Admiral  Cochrane  in  the  following  words :  By  the  Honorable 
Sir  Alexander  Cockrane  K.B.  Vice  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  and  Commander-in-chief  of  His  Majesty's 
ships  and  vessels  upon  the  North  American  States.  A  Proclamation  —  Whereas  it  has  been  pre- 
sented to  me  that  many  persons  now  resident  in  the  United  States  will  with  their  families  be  received 
on  board  His  Majesty's  Ships  or  vessels  of  war,  or  at  the  Military  ports  that  may  be  established  upon 


122 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


or  near  the  Coast  of  the  United  States  when  they  will  have  their  choice  of  either  entering  into  His  Maj- 
esty's Sea  or  Land  forces,  or  being  sent  as  free  settlers  to  the  British  possessions  in  North  America 
or  tlie  West  Indies,  where  they  will  meet  with  all  due  encouragement.  Since  under  command  at 
Bei'muda  Second  Daj-  of  April  1814. 

ALEXANDER  COCKRANE. 

By  command  of  Vice-Admiral  William  Blankitchet. 

God  save  the  King. 

Resolved,  thatHis  Honor  the  Mayor  be  requested  to  Communicate  all  information  of  which  he  is 
possessed  to  General  McLitosh,  and  by  mail  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor. 

Sir  Admiral  Cockrane's  proclamation  aroused  a  strong  feeling  of  alarm,  and 
resort  was  made  to  rigorous  measures  to  prevent  spies  from  gaining  access  to  the 
city. 

The  marshal  of  the  district  of  Georgia  was  requested. to  parole  British  prisoners 
of  war  in  the  city,  to  prevent  their  viewing  the  forts,  barracks,  or  other  public  works 
in  or  near  the  city,  under  penalty  of  close  confinement  should  the  paroles  be  violated. 
All  strangers  were  also  to  be  immediately  reported  to  the  clerk  of  Council.  In 
May,  1814,  the  British  brig-of-war  "  Epervier,"  carrying  eighteen  guns,  was  brought 
into  the  Savannah  river  by  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  "Peacock,"  Lewis  War- 
rington, commander  The  " Epervier"  had  on  board  when  captured  one  hundred  and 
ten  thousand  dollars  in  specie.  This  was  confiscated,  and  distributed  according  to 
law. 

Council  passed  the  following  resolution  upon  the  event :  — 

Whereas  another  victory  has  added  to  the  glory,  the  lustre,  and  renown  of  the  American  Navy, 
the  Maj'or  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  Savannah  are  anxious  on  this,  as  they  have  been  on  other 
occasions  of  similar  triumphs  to  pay  the  ti'ibute  of  resj^ect  to  unparalleled  skill  and  valor  of  the 
heroes  of  the  Ocean.  Be  it  therefore  imanimously  resolved,  that  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the 
City  of  Savannah  do  feel  sincere  gratitude  and  respect  for  the  distinguished  conduct  and  noble  ser- 
vices of  Captain  Warrington,  the  gallant  officers  and  crew  in  the  late  victory  over  the  British  Sloop 
of  War  Epervier. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  July,  1814,  the  news  of  another  victory  led  to  the 
passing  of  the  following  preamble  :  — 

Whereas  another  great  and  brilliant  exploit  has  bestowed  on  the  skill,  courage.  Self  Devotion 
and  Pati'iotism  of  the  Hero  Porter,  his  officers  and  crew,  a  splendour  and  glory  never  before  acquired 
under  similar  circumstances  and  given  a  reputation  to  the  American  Navy  which  neither  vaunts  nor 
misrej)resentations  of  the  enemy  can  jn-event  carrying  fear  and  terror  to  his  thousand  Ships,  and 
whereas  this  glorious  achievement  united  to  the  noble  efforts  of  the  illustrious  Porter,  his  officers 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


and  crew,  to  promote  the  fame  and  the  interest  of  their  Country  in  their  long,  perilous  and  unex- 
ampled cruise  demand  not  only  heartfelt  gratitude  of  every  citizen  of  the  Republic,  but  particularly 
of  every  public  body  and  department  of  the  Country.  Be  it  therefore  unanimously  resolved  by  ihe 
Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  city  of  Savannah  that  for  and  in  behalf  of  themselves,  and  their  Fellow 
Citizens  of  Savannah,  they  beg  leave  most  respectfully  to  tender  to  Captain  David  Porter,  late  of  the 
Essex  Frigate,  his  officers  and  crew  this  high  opinion  of  the  skill.  Perseverance  and  Patriotism 
evinced  throughout  the  long  and  perilous  Cruise  of  the  Essex,  as  well  as  the  sincere  profound  and 
unaffected  gratitude  with  which  they  have  been  inspired  by  the  great  glorious  and  unexampled  skill 
and  heroism  displayed  by  Captain  Porter,  the  brave  officers  and  gallant  Seamen  in  the  unequal  eon- 
test  of  the  Essex  with  the  British  Frigate  Phoebe  and  the  Sloop  of  War  Cherub. 

On  September  sixth,  1814,  the  following  gentlemen  were  elected  aldermen: 
John  B.  Norris,  T.  U.  P.  Charlton,  Isaac  Fell,  J.  B.  Read,  R.  Mackay,  George 
Jones,  J.  Hersman,  H.  Mcintosh,  E.  Harden,  Alex.  S.  Roe,  M.  McAllister,  Th. 
Bourke,  Wm.  B.  Bullock.  From  this  number  Aldermen  Charlton,  Roe,  and  Norris 
were  selected  a  Committee  of  Vigilance  to  "  guard  against  the  introduction  of  sus- 
picious characters  into  the  city,  and  to  have  weekly  returns  from  all  taverns,  lodging 
and  boarding  house  keeper's,  of  the  numbers  of  names  and  business  of  such  persons, 
and  to  act  towards  them  as  the  law  and  ordinances  direct,  and  they  are  required  to 
aid  in  ascertaining  the  earliest  information  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  by  land  or 
water  and  are  empowered  to  appoint  a  Secretaiy  to  record  proceedings.  Resolved 
that  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  be  and  is  hereby  appropriated  and  put  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Committee  for  the  public  good."  With  more  faith  in  the  efficacy  of 
example  than  precept,  at  the  meeting  of  Council  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  September, 
1814,  it  was  "resolved  unanimously  that  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  meet  at  the 
Council  Chamber  on  Thursday  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  with  hoes,  axes,  and  spades, 
for  the  pui'pose  of  giving  personal  aid  in  the  erection  of  fortifications.  The  citizens 
are  also  recommended  to  unite  in  similar  bodies."  The  fortifications  of  the  city, 
which  throughout  the  three  years  of  war  were  carried  on  alternately  by  the  military 
and  the  citizens,  when  completed  consisted  of  earthworks  with  batteries  mounted 
upon  platforms  at  irregular  intervals.  "The  line  of  fortifications  began  near  the 
intersection  of  Farm  street  with  the  river :  thence  running  south  along  the  western 
edge  of  the  ridge  upon  which  the  city  was  built,  until  it  reached  and  enclosed  Spring 
Hill ;  thence  bending  to  the  east  and  south-east  it  surrounded  the  Old  Jail ;  and 
thence  pursuing  a  north  easterly  direction  crossing  East  Broad  street,  at  the  inter- 
section of  South  Broad  street,  until  it  reached  the  Magazine,  when  an  almost  due 
north  course  conducted  it  along  the  brow  of  the  hill  again  to  the  River." 


124 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


On  the  eighth  of  December,  1814,  the  Committee  of  Vigilance  was  discharged, 
owing  to  the  arrival  of  Brigadier-General  Floyd  with  a  considerable  military  force 
in  and  near  the  city. 

A  season  of  fresh  alarm  prevailed  in  Savannah,  for  we  find  Council  on  the 
twenty-first  of  January,  1815,  requesting  Commodore  Hugh  G.  Campbell,  in  com- 
mand of  the  United  States  flotilla  stationed  off  Savannah,  to  sink  vessels  at  any 
points  he  might  deem  expedient  for  the  obstruction  of  the  river.  The  Vigilance 
Committee  was  reappointed,  but  the  prudent  precautions  were  not  tested.  The 
twenty-first  of  February  found  Council  passing  a  vote  of  thanks  to  General  Andrew 
Jackson  for  his  successes  before  New  Orleans. 

A  week  later,  on  February  twenty-eighth,  the  President's  proclamation  of  peace 
brought  relief  to  the  recently  agitated  town,  and  there  was  published  the  following 
in  one  of  the  daily  papers  :  — 

Whereupon  imanimonsly  Resolved  that  the  happy  tidings  of  Peace  being  announced  by  the 
Proclamation  of  the  President.  The  Citizens  of  Savannah  are  resjiectfully  invited  to  set  aside 
Saturday  next,  fourth  of  March,  as  a  day  for  innocent  recreation  and  amusement,  in  consequence  of 
the  ratification  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace,  with  Great  Britain,  founded  on  a  Basis  of  perfect  reciprocity 
and  honorable  to  this  Nation  Resolved  that  the  Board  having  heretofore  devoted  all  the  means  and 
energies  in  the  prosecution  of  just  war,  now  hails  the  return  of  Peace  and  Amitj-  and  Commerce 
which  it  is  hoped  will  follow  this  gratifying  event,  and  declares  itself  equally  devoted  to  the  Main- 
tenance of  Peace  and  Friendship  with  the  subjects  of  Great  l^ritain.  Always  having  had  in  view 
the  sacred  and  patriotic  duty  of  considering  in  the  scope  of  its  authority,  all  persons  "  enemies  in 
war,  in  peace  friends." 

Votes  of  thanks  were  passed  l)y  the  grateful  City  Fathers,  in  behalf  of  them- 
selves and  the  citizens,  to  Commodore  Campl)ell,  Major-General  Pinckney,  and  the 
late  Major  McAllister  for  their  timely  services,  zeal,  and  advice  during  the 
threatened  invasion.  The  extended  resolutions  of  the  City  Council  of  Savannah 
during  the  three  years'  war  have  been  given  verbatim,  l)etter  to  convey  the  temper 
of  the  times  than  brief  extracts  would  have  done. 

Once  more  peaceful  avocations  resumed  sway  over  the  small  community ;  a 
depleted  exchequer  alone  bore  proof  to  the  recent  presence  of  war.  Rather  amusing 
is  a  notice  in  one  of  the  papers  of  the  day,  .called  a  "  Close  Shave  in  Finances." 

The  Finance  Committee  submitted  to  Council  the  following  report,  showing  the 
receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  city  of  Savannah  from  August  first,  1812,  to  August 
first,  1813,  to  wit:- 


HISTOmC  AND   I'ICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


125 


The  aggi'egate  income  from  all  sources,  twenty-six  thousand  one  hunch'ed  and  sixty-five  dollars. 
The  aggregate  exjjenses,  twenty-six  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  the  balance  in 
the  treasury  consisting  of  five  dollars ! 

A  light  glance  at  the  city  during  the  years  of  the  war  agitation  discloses  an 
increase  in  hotels.  The  Georgia  Hotel  was  opened  in  1812  ;  there  were  held  weekly 
meetings  of  a  whist  club.  The  opening  of  Washington  Hall,  on  the  corner  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Bay  streets,  occurred  the  same  year.  This  new  and  spacious  hotel  proved  a 
formidable  rival  to  the  hitherto  popular  hostelry  on  the  Bay,  "  Gunn's  Tavern."  The 
carrier  system  for  delivering  newspapers  was  a  recognized  part  of  the  city  machinery 
in  1812.  Evidences  of  the  War  of  1812  are  to  be  found  to  this  day  in  Savannah, 
in  the  naming  of  her  squares  and  streets.  Naval  hei'oes  and  victorious  battles  were 
commemorated  by  Chippewa  and  Orleans  squares,  Hull,  McDonough,  and  Perry 
streets.    In  1816  a  school  was  established,  known  as  the  "  Savannah  Free  School." 

In  that  same  year  the  Methodist  church,  called  Wesley  Chapel,  begun  in  1813, 
on  the  north-east  corner  of  South  Broad  and  Lincoln  streets,  was  completed  and 
dedicated.    Here  the  congregation  continued  to  worship  till  18(36. 

Methodism  had  but  a  slender  foothold  in  Savannah  in  the  early  years  of  the 
century.  In  1813,  Samuel  Dunwody  succeeded  in  organizing  the  first  Methodist 
Society.  The  house  of  worship  was  begun  while  the  society  was  under  the  charge  of 
James  Russell,  one  of  the  most  eloquent  preachers  ever  heard  in  Georgia,  who  relied 
for  support  upon  the  reaping  and  selling  of  marsh-grass  for  horse  and  cattle  food. 

The  best  talent  of  the  church  was  employed  to  build  up  Methodism  in 
Savannah.  William  Capers,  James  O.  Andrew,  and  George  F.  Pierce,  three  of  the 
greatest  preachers  in  the  South  of  that  denomination,  all  afterwards  elected  bishops, 
were  pastors  in  charge  of  Old  Wesley  Chapel. 

Ignatius  A.  Few,  the  first  president  of  Emory  College,  Elijah  Sinclair,  the 
founder  of  the  Wesleyan  Female  College,  Daniel  Curry,  James  Sewell,  Lovick 
Pierce,  E.  H.  Myers,  R.  J.  Corley,  and  others,  all  famous  preachers,  served  as 
pastors  of  Wesley  Chapel  or  of  Trinity  Church. 

Early  in  the  year  1818  the  question  of  a  theatre  began  to  take  form.  Two 
lots  in  Brown  Ward  were  given  for  the  erection  of  a  building  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Savannah  Theatre,  James  Bilbo,  James  Morrison,  Alexander  Telfair,  Jonathan 
Battelle,  and  William  Gaston,  Esquires,  by  a  deed  signed  on  the  twenty-eighth  day 
of  February,  1818,  by  James  M.  Wayne,  Mayor;  John  Tanner,  Hazen  Kimball, 
Joseph  Habersham,  Frederick  Densler,  William  Davies,  Paul  Thoniassou,  and  G. 


126 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


W.  Owens,  a  majority  of  the  aldermen.  Mr.  Jay  was  secured  as  architect.  On  the 
fom'th  of  December,  1818,  the  theatre  was  opened  for  the  first  time,  with  the  fol- 
lowing programme,  taken  from  the  "  Columbus  Museum  and  Savannah  Daily 
Gazette,"  Thursday,  December  third,  1818  :  — 


THEATRE. 

The  manager  has  the  pleasure  of  respectfully  informing  the  public  that  the  new  theatre  will 
open  on  Friday,  Decemlier  fourth,  1818. 

Chery's  Comedy  of  the  "  Soldier's  Daughter." 


Gov.  Heartall  . 
Frank  Heartall 
Malfort,  Sen.  . 

"  Jun.  . 
Capt.  Woodley 
Mr.  Ferret 
Timothy  Quaint 
Simon  Quaint  . 
William  "  . 
John  ' '  . 
Widow  Cheerly 
Mrs.  Malfort  . 
Mrs.  Fidget  . 
Susan 

Mrs.  Townley  . 
The  ejiilogne  to  be  sjioken  by  Mr 


Jeremy  Diddler 
Fainwould 
Kicliard  . 
Plainwaj'  . 
Sam  . 
Waitej'!-  . 
Miss  Duralile 
Peggy  . 


Mr.  Faulkner. 
Mr.  Yomig. 
Mr.  Horton. 
Mr.  Fennel. 
Mr.  Drummond. 
Mr.  Clarke. 
Mr.  Dalton. 
Mr.  Quin. 
Mr.  Seward. 
Mr.  Schonoth. 
Mrs.  Young. 

"  Drummond. 

"  Clarke. 

"  Horton. 

"  Faulkner. 


Young,  to  which  will  be  added  the  farce  of 
Raising  the  Wind." 

Mr.  Dalton. 
"  Fennel. 
"  Hyatt. 
"  Clarke. 
"  Brown. 
Quin  and  Seward. 
Mrs.  Clarke. 
Mrs.  Drummond. 


The  theatre,  which  to-day,  exteriorly,  remains  much  the  same  as  in  1818,  is 
said  to  be  the  oldest  house  of  histrionic  art  in  use  in  the  United  States.  Within  its 
walls  have  figured  many  of  the  great  dramatic  and  operatic  stars  that  have  rendered 
the  American  and  English  staa'es  fimious. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


127 


About  ten  days  before  the  formal  opening  of  the  theatre,  there  appeared  the 
first  issue  of  the  daily  paper  "The  Georgian,"  edited  by  Doctor  John  M.  Harney,  an 
erratic  son  of  genius,  whose  remarkable  "  Curse  upon  Savannah  "  has  given  him  an 
undying  notoriety  within  the  community.  Brilliant  Bohemian  that  he  was.  Doctor 
Harney  soon  exhausted  the  patience  and  the  purses  of  his  friends. 

DOCTOR  HARNEY'S   FAREWELL  TO  SAVANNAH. 

Farewell  to  Savannah  !  forever  farewell ! 

The  hot-bed  of  rogues,  the  terrestrial  Hell ! 

Where  Satan  has  fixed  his  headquarters  on  earth, 

And  outlaw'd  integrity,  wisdom,  and  worth. 

Where  villany  thrives  and  where  honesty  begs, 

Where  folly  is  purse-proud,  and  wisdom  in  rags ; 

Where  man  is  worth  nothing,  except  in  one  sense. 

Which  they  always  compute  in  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence; 

Where  the  greatest  freeholder  is  a  holder  of  Slaves, 

And  he  that  has  most,  about  Freedom  most  raves. 

Where  they'd  worship  a  Calf,  if  like  Aaron  of  old. 

Where  the  Devil  may  reign,  if  his  sceptre  be  gold; 

Where    against  knavery  is  constantly  l)awling. 

For  tliey  seldom  agree  who  pursue  the  same  calling. 

With  bailiffs  he  drives  every  rogue  from  the  town 

Determined  to  put  all  competitors  down; 

Where  even  the  churches,  subservient  to  gain. 

Are  bought  in  by  stock-jobbers,  to  sell  out  again. 

Each  pew  is  a  lucrative  turnpike  to  heaven, 

At  which  an  exorbitant  toll  must  be  given ; 

At  fifty  per  cent,  you  must  purchase  salvation, 

And  the  rich  have  monopolized  all  that's  in  fashion. 

When  the  most  approved  tests  of  a  gentleman  are 

The  taste  of  his  wine  and  his  Spanish  Segar; 

If  these  recommend,  he's  a  gentleman  sure, 

Though  a  fool  or  a  rogue,  whether  Christian  or  Moor. 

Where  your  friend  must  compute,  ere  he  asks  you  to  dine, 

First  your  value  to  him,  then  the  cost  of  his  wine. 

Then  if  it  appear  he  will  not  be  a  winner 

To  the  Devil  you  may  go  —  not  to  him  —  for  a  dinner. 

When  the  girls  cannot  tell,  if  they  win  you  they'd  wed  you 

Without  pencil  and  slate  to  subtract  and  to  add  to. 

They  make  a  shrewd  bargain  miscalled  Matrimony  — 

'Tis  a  mercantile  business,  a  matter  of  money ; 


128 


BISTOBIC  AND   tlCTUREHQUE   HAVANA  AH 


For  a  union  in  wedlock,  in  friendship,  and  trade, 

Are  alike  by  the  rules  of  arithmetic  made. 

Each  nation  is  marked  by  some  national  crime, 

Which  is  changed  as  the  fruit  of  the  Soil  or  the  Clime. 

But  the  soil  of  Savannah  new  vigor  imparts. 

To  vices  transplanted  from  all  foreign  parts. 

Cursed  be  the  winds  that  blew  me  to  your  strand ; 

Your  houses  are  board,  and  your  alleys  are  Sand! 

Oh,  still  may  your  beds  be  the  Moss  from  your  trees ! 

Long  life  to  your  bed-bugs,  the  same  to  your  tieas ! 

May  all  your  free  citizens,  wealthy  or  poor. 

Be  bribed  for  their  votes,  as  they  have  heretofore! 

May  every  quack  Doctor  be  patronized  still. 

And  his  talents  be  judged  by  the  length  of  his  bill; 

May  all  your  quack  Lawyers  find  themes  for  their  tongues, 

And  their  brains  get  the  applause  that  is  due  to  their  lungs ; 

May  your  miserly  merchants  still  cheat  for  their  pence. 

And,  with  scarce  any  brains,  show  a  good  deal  of  cents! 

Now,  to  finish  my  curses  upon  your  ill  city. 

And  express  in  few  words  all  the  sum  of  my  ditty, 

I  leave  you.  Savannah — a  curse  that  is  far 

The  worst  of  all  curses — to  remain  as  you  are! 

Doctor  Harney's  successors  in  the  editorship  of  the  "  Georgian  "  were  Israel 
K.  TefFt  and  Harry  James  Finn.  Upon  the  twenty-first  of  March,  1821,  the 
"  Georgian  "  appeared  with  the  name  of  Teft't  and  Finn  at  its  head.  Harry  James 
Finn,  a  distinguished  actor  among  a  gahixy  of  dramatic  talent  that  came  to  Savannah 
in  the  fall  of  1818,  when  the  theatre  was  first  opened,  did  not  long  pursue  his  news- 
paper venture.  He  returned  to  the  footlights,  adopting  the  rule  of  "  genteel  comedy," 
which  won  him  the  reputation  of  one  of  the  best  representatives  on  the  American 
stage,  before  untimely  death  cut  short  his  career.  Far  different  the  life  of  his  one-time 
partner  and  associate  editor,  Isaac  K.  Tefi't !  Mr.  Tefft  edited  the  paper  alone  for 
some  time,  then  sold  it  to  Mr.  George  Robertson,  who  later  associated  his  brother, 
William  Robertson,  with  him.  In  1833,  Doctor  R.  1).  Arnold  and  William  H. 
Bulloch,  Esq.,  became  joint  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  "  Georgian."  Thus  it 
remained  till  1835,  when  Mr.  Bulloch  purchased  Dr.  Arnold's  interest.  In  1849, 
another  change  was  made ;  Henry  R.  Jackson  and  Philip  J.  Punch  bought  the 
paper,  admitting  S.  S.  Sibley  as  a  partner.  Successive  changes  occurred,  till,  in 
1859,  its  publication  was  suspended  never  to  be  resumed. 


HISTORIC  AND    riCTUEEBQUE  SAVANNAH 


129 


On  the  tliirteonth  of  January,  1817,  with  hupressive  ceremonies,  the  corner-stone 
was  laid  of  the  present  beautiful  edifice  of  the  Independent  Presl)yterian  church.  In 
the  month  of  May,  1819,  the  church  was  dedicated.  An  extract  from  the  "Columbian 
Museum  and  Savannah  Daily  Gazette,"  published  on  Monday,  May  tenth,  1819, 
gives  the  following  :  — 

Yesterday  the  New  Independent  Presbytei'ian  C'liureli  which  has  been  building  in  this  city  and 
now  nearly  finished  was  solemnly  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Almighty  God.  An  able  and  impressive 
Discourse  was  delivei'ed  from  the  second  chapter  of  Haggai  and  ninth  verso.  For  grandeur  of 
design  and  neatness  of  execution,  we  presume  this  Church  is  not  surpassed  by  any  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  seldom  tliat  we  discover  a  scene  more  affecting  and  impressive  than  this  solemn  cere- 
mony afforded ;  and  in  this  city  we  never  witnessed  such  an  immense  congregation  so  large  a  por- 
tion of  which  was  formed  ol'  i'emale  beauty ;  also  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  Suite 
and  other  distinguished  jDersonages  belonging  to  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States  who 
listened  with  pious  attention  to  the  learned,  appropriate,  and  eloquent  Discourse  of  the  Reverend 
Pastor.  In  no  other  than  the  house  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  so  imposing  a  scene,  we  could,  and  with 
empha.sis,  echo  the  words  of  the  Reverend  preacher  Doctor  Henry  Kollock.  "The  glory  of  this 
latter  house,  shall  be  greater  than  the  former,  in  this  place  will  I  give  peace  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts  !  "  The  psalms  and  hymns  interspersed  through  the  sei'vice  were  peculiarly  well  adapted  to 
the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  the  performance  of  the  vocal  music  tended  to  elevate  the  soul  to 
sublime  and  heavenly  musings.  The  respectful  attention  and  the  fervency  of  the  resi^oiises  all  com- 
bined to  induce  the  belief  that  the  heart  accompanied  the  lips  in  supplication  to  the  throne  of  Divine 
Grace. 

The  Independent  Presbyterian  church  with  its  dependencies  constitutes  one  of 
the  imposing  ecclesiastic  features  of  the  city.  Commanding  on  Bull  street,  with  the 
low,  picturesque,  brick  lecture-room  adjacent,  it  extends  on  South  Broad  street 
towards  Whitaker  street,  where  stands  the  gray-toned  parsonage. 

According  to  the  conditions  of  the  legacy  left  to  the  church  by  the  late  Miss 
Mary  Telfair,  the  marked  features  of  the  interior,  the  high  Dutch  pulpit  and  the 
galleries,  can  never  be  materially  altered. 

Many  eminent  divines  have  held  this  pastorate.  Conspicuous  among  them  were 
Doctor  Henry  Kollock  and  Doctor  Willard  Preston.  The  present  venerable  pastor 
emeritus,  I.  S.  K.  Axson,  D.D.,  has  officiated  for  more  than  a  generation,  rendering 
himself  beloved  to  the  community  at  large,  as  well  as  to  his  immediate  charge.  The 
congregation  is  the  richest  in  the  city. 

A  dependency  of  the  church  is  the  Anderson-street  Mission,  which  originated 
from  prayer-meetings  held  on  Sunday  afternoons  in  Frewtown.    Mrs.  Frew,  a 


130 


HISTOIUC  AND  FICTUEESQUE  SAVANNAH 


zealous  meml)er  of  the  church,  donated  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Anderson  and 
Barnard  streets,  on  condition  that  the  trustees  of  the  Independent  Church  would 
erect  thereon  a  chapel.    This  was  completed  in  1869,  and  to-day  the  Anderson- 
street  Church  ministers  to  an  increasino-  con- 

o 

gregation,  under  the  care  of  Reverend  R.  Q. 
Wade. 

James  Monroe,  the  fifth  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  second  to  visit  Savan- 
nah, was  received  in  the  city  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  the  eighth  of  May,  1819,  with  every 
demonstration  of  delight  to  honor  the  Chief 
Magistrate.     He  was  conducted 
to  the  newly  built  house  of  Wil- 
liam Scarborough,  Esq.,  on  West 
Broad  street.  This 
house,  still  bearing 
evidence  of  its  early 
grandeur,  with  the 
mutations  of  time 
has  become  a  public 
school  for  colored 
children.    The  re- 
ception accorded 
the  President  of  the 
United  States  was 
the  beginning  of  a 
series  of  hospitable 
acts   extended  to 
eminent   men  that 
ever   marked  the 
mansion  during  the 
lifetime    of  its 
owner   and  liberal 

entertainer,  —  William  Scarborough,  a  "merchant  prince"  of  Savannah,  to  whom 
the  city  owed  much  of  its  advancement.    A  public  ball  was  given  in  the  President's 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


131 


honor,  in  ;i  building  prepared  for  the  occasion  in  Johnson  square.  "  The  entrance 
will  be  at  the  southern  door,  and  carriages  are  requested  to  drive  in  on  the  western, 
and  out  at  the  eastern  part  of  the  space,  from  which  the  railing  has  been  removed, 
passing  round  on  the  outside  of  the  enclosure  toward  the  church  and  Bank."  The 
President  remained  for  five  days  in  Savannah,  on  Wednesday,  the  twelfth,  enjoying 
a  novel  excursion.  This  was  a  trip  to  Tybee,  on  the  new  steamship  the  "City  of 
Savannah,"  lately  arrived  within  the  Savannah's  waters,  preparatory  to  its  first  trip 
across  the  ocean.  A  pubhc  dinner  was  given  on  the  same  day,  at  five  o'clock,  in  a 
booth  erected  for  the  occasion  at  the  east  end  of  the  bay. 

The  booth  was  ornamented  with  wreaths  and  branches  of  laurel.  At  the  head  of  the  table  was 
an  arch  composed  of  lam-els  beautifully  decorated  with  roses,  so  disposed  as  to  form  the  name  of 
James  Monroe.  The  company  having  dined,  the  following  toasts  were  announced  from  the  chair 
accompanied  with  appropriate  music  from  the  stand.  During  the  giving  of  toasts,  the  Dallas  fired 
salutes,  her  commander  having  obligingly  tendered  his  services  for  the  occasion.  On  the  President 
retiring  from  the  table  a  grand  national  salute  was  opened  which  made  the  welkin  ring.  Toasts : 
I.  Our  Country.  In  her  infancy  she  is  mighty  in  the  first  class  of  nations,  what  will  be  the  Meridian 
of  her  life  ?  II.  The  Federal  Union.  May  the  head  be  accursed  that  shall  insidiously  plot  its  dis- 
solution, the  ai-m  withered  that  shall  aim  a  blow  at  its  existence.  III.  The  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  framed  by  the  wisdom  of  sages,  may  our  statesmen  and  our  posterity  regard  it  as  the 
National  ark  of  political  safety  never  to  be  abandoned.  IV.  The  Military,  Naval,  Legislative,  and 
Diplomatic  Worthies  of  the  Revolution.  It  is  our  duty  and  delight  to  honor  them  and  to  tell  their 
deeds  with  filial  piety.  V.  General  George  Washington,  Revered  be  his  memory  !  Let  our  states- 
men and  our  Warriors  obey  his  precepts,  our  youth  emulate  his  virtues  and  services,  and  our  country 
is  safe.  VI.  The  Cession  of  the  Floridas  —  Honorable  to  the  Administration  and  useful  to  the  United 
States  it  completes  the  form  of  the  Republic.  VII.  Major  General  Andrew  Jackson  —  The  hero  of 
New  Orleans  the  brave  defender  of  his  country  and  indicator  of  its  injured  honor.  VIII.  Adams, 
Jefi"erson,  and  Madison — They  have  withdrawn  from  public  duty,  and  illustrious  by  their  virtues, 
and  services,  carry  with  them  a  nation's  gratitude.  IX.  The  Navy.  Imperishable  fame  accom- 
panies the  star  spangled  banner.  In  the  last  war  we  coped  with  Britain  on  the  ocean  ;  now  we  hear 
of  no  search,  no  impressment.  X.  The  Army — Our  pillar  of  protection  on  the  land;  their  valor 
and  patriotism  won  the  victories  of  York  and  of  Erie,  of  Chippewa,  and  of  Niagara,  XI.  Tlie 
Militia — Yet  the  bulwark  of  our  country.  Invincibles  fell  before  them  in  the  battle  of  Baltimore, 
and  of  Plattsburg,  of  the  Thames,  and  of  New  Orleans.  XII.  Concord  between  the  North  and  the 
South,  the  East  and  the  West.  May  unanimity  till  the  end  of  time,  falsify  the  timid  fears  of  tliose 
who  predict  dissolution.  XIII.  The  American  Fair  —  May  they  always  be  mothers  to  a  race  of 
patriots.  Volunteers  —  By  President  of  the  United  States.  The  people  of  the  United  States.  They 
constitute  but  one  family,  and  may  the  bond  which  unites  them  together  as  brethren  and  freemen  be 
eternal.  By  John  C.  Calhoim,  Secretary  of  War  —  The  freedom  of  the  Press,  and  the  responsibility 
of  Public  Agents.    The  sure  foundation  of  the  noble  fabric  of  American  liberty.    By  Major  General 


132  HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

Gaines  —  The  memory  of  Jackson,  Tattnall,  and  Telfair.  The  choice,  the  pride  and  ornament  of 
Georgia.  By  Mr.  Middleton  —  The  memory  of  General  Greene,  who  conquered  for  liberty.  By 
Major  General  Floyd  —  Our  Country  —  ]\Iay  its  prosj^erity  be  as  lasting,  as  its  government  is  free. 
After  the  President  and  Secretaiy  of  War  had  retired.  By  the  Mayor —  The  President  of  the  United 
States.  By  William  Bullock  Esq.  Vice  President  —  Mr.  Calhoun,  Secretary  at  War.  The  distin- 
guished Statesman,  the  virtuous  citizen.  By  General  John  Mclntofh.  Peace  with  all  the  world  as 
long  as  they  resj^ect  our  rights  —  disgrace  and  defeat  to  the  power  who  would  invade  them.  Bj' 
Colonel  James  E.  Houstoun  —  The  memory  of  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh.  By  General  Mitchell  —  The 
late  war  —  a  practical  illustration  of  the  energy  of  our  republic.  After  the  Mayor  retired,  James  M. 
Wayne,  Mayor  of  the  City.  By  Colonel  ]\Iarshall — The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Georgia — A 
virtuous  man  and  zealous  chief  Magistrate.  After  the  Vice  President  retired,  William  B.  Bullock. 
Our  respected  citizen.  By  Colonel  Harden  —  The  assistant  Vice  Presidents  of  the  day  —  Charles 
HaiTis,  Matthew  McAllister  and  John  EiDpinger  Esqrs.  By  John  H.  Ash  —  Colonel  James  Marshall, 
a  skilful  officer,  and  the  friend  of  his  country.  By  Major  Gray — We  are  a  free  and  happy  2)eoi3le, 
and  while  enjoying  every  blessing  let  us  not  forget  the  great  Author  from  whom  all  good  emanates. 
By  Josiah  Davenport  —  The  union  of  our  country.    May  the  last  ti'ump  alone  dissolve  it. 

At  six  o'clock  on  Thursday,  May  thirteenth,  the  President  and  his  suite  set  out 
for  Augusta,  accompanied  by  a  military  and  civil  escort,  mounted,  for  a  few  miles 
on  the  Augusta  road.  Mention  has  been  made  of  the  "City  of  Savannah,"  destined 
to  be  the  first  steamship  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  To  the  merchants  of  Savannah,  and 
foremost  among  them  to  William  Scarborough,  Esq.,  must  be  given  the  honor  of 
conceiving  and  carrying  into  execution  this  project.  Mr.  Scarborough  and  a  few 
associates  were  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  of  Georgia,  in  1818,  under  the  name 
of  the  ''Savannah  Steamship  Company."  '  At  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  February,  1819,  the  following  persons  were  elected  directors: 
William  Scarborough,  Robert  Isaac,  S.  C.  Dunning,  James  S.  Bullock,  and  Joseph 
Habersham.  The  shares  of  the  company  were  readily  sold,  and  the  project  was 
entered  into  with  spirit  and  perseverance.  Pott  and  McKinnie,  of  New  York,  were 
selected,  as  the  agents  of  the  company,  to  attend  to  the  building  of  the  ship,  the  hull, 
etc.,  which  was  built  in  New  York,  while  the  iron  works  were  made  at  Eliza- 
bethtown.  New  Jersey.  The  "  City  of  Savannah"  was  launched  and  ready  for  sea  by 
the  middle  of  March.  On  March  twenty-eight,  1819,  she  made  her  trial  trip  from 
New  York  to  Savannah,  receiving  an  enthusiastic  greeting  from  hundreds  of  citizens 
assembled  on  the  wharves  to  welcome  her,  commanded  by  Captain  Moses  Rogers, 
an  experienced  engineer.  On  May  twentieth  she  sailed  for  Liverpool,  according  to 
the  advertisement,  in  ballast,  without,  however,  any  passengers.  Just  one  month 
later  she  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Liverpool.    The  paddles  were  so  made 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


133 


that  they  could  be  removed  from  the  shaft  in  twenty  minutes  without  any  difficulty. 
Approaching  Liverpool  they  were  resumed,  to  produce  an  astonishing  effect  upon 
British  on-lookers  ;  "  with  wheels  plying  to  the  utmost  and  all  sails  set,  she  went 
into  the  Mersey,  proud  as  any  i)rincess  going  to  her  crowning,  the  spectators  abso- 
lutely astounded  at  her  appearance."  Her  journey  was  yet  of  longer  duration. 
Eemaining  in  Liverpool  for  a  month,  visited  by  thousands,  she  then  continued  her 
way  to  St.  Petersburg,  where  Captain  Rogers  and  his  novel  craft  were  received  with 
every  mark  of  respect  and  admiration.  The  twentieth  of  November  of  the  same 
year  found  her  steaming  into  the  port  whose  name  she  bore,  with  "  neither  a  screw, 
bolt,  nor  rope  yard  parted,"  according  to  her  proud  commander,  notwithstanding 
much  rough  weather  experienced.  Later  sold  to  a  company  of  New  York  merchants, 
and  divested  of  her  steam  apparatus,  she  was  converted  into  a  sailing-packet  between 
Savannah  and  New  York,  and  was  finally  lost  off  the  coast  of  Long  Island.  Unfortu- 
nately, as  a  financial  venture  she  was  fifteen  years  in  advance  of  the  age.  In  1856, 
upon  the  opening  of  the  Crystal  Palace  in  London,  the  Allaire  Works  in  New 
York  deposited  as  one  of  their  contributions  the  identical  cylinder  of  the  old  steam- 
ship the  "  City  of  Savannah."  It  is  now  on  exhibition  in  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  the 
onl}'^  known  part  of  the  steamship  in  existence.  The  "  Savannah's  "  log-book  is  also 
to  be  seen  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 


CHAPTEK  yill. 


r"riHE  j^ear  of  Savannah's  prosperity  and  rejoicing  was  followed  by  one  of  destrue-- 
-L  tion  and  death.  At  the  outset  of  1820,  on  January  eleventh,  the  second  great  fire 
swept  over  Savannah.  The  people  had  barely  recovered  from  the  shock  caused  from 
the  disaster,  before  a  pestilence  appeared  in  their  midst,  carrying  a  large  proportion 
to  early  graves.  An  account  taken  from  the  "  Georgian  "  of  Monday,  January  seven- 
teenth, 1820,  makes  vivid  the  scene  of  desolation  from  the  fire. 

The  City  of  Savannah,  after  a  lapse  of  twenty  four  years  has  again  experienced  the  horrors  of 
a  conflagration,  far  siiri)assing  in  violence  and  destruction  the  melancholy  fire  in  1796.  The  build- 
ings then  were  of  little  value  compared  to  those  recently  lost.  The  genius  of  desolation  could  not 
have  chosen  a  spot  within  the  limits  of  our  city,  where  so  widespread  a  scene  of  misery,  ruin  and 
despair  might  be  laid,  as  that  which  was  recently  the  centre  of  health  and  industry,  now  a  heap  of 
worthless  ruins.  On  Tuesday  morning  between  the  hours  of  one  and  two  o'clock  an  alarm  of  fire 
was  given  fi'om  the  livery  stable  of  Mr.  Boon,  on  the  trust  lot  of  Isaac  Fell,  Esq.,  situated  in  BajDtist 
Church  Square,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Market  Square,  around  which  the  buildings  were  almost 
exclusive  of  wood.  They  were  in  a  most  combustible  state,  fi-om  a  long  continuance  of  dry  weather. 
When  the  Conflagration  reached  Market  Squai'e,  a  heavy  explosion  of  gun-powder  added  greatly  to  the 
general  desti'uction.  For  the  information  of  readers  at  a  distance  the  principal  streets  of  the  city  run 
parallel  with  the  river  nearly  East  and  West,  beginning  at  Bay  Street  one  side  of  which  onlj'  is  built 
up  at  the  distance  generally  of  about  three  or  four  hundred  feet  from  the  top  of  the  blutt",  beneath 
which  runs  the  river.  These  streets  are  intersected  by  others  at  right  angles  and  at  regular  inlervals, 
spacious  squares  are  left  open  into  which  the  ijroi^erty  rescued  from  the  flames  was  hastily  thrown. 
Broughton  street  the  most  considerable  in  the  city  runs  parallel  with  Bay  street,  above  described  and 
five  smaller  streets  and  lanes  thickly  built  are  comprehended  between  those  two  streets.  Ninety  four 
lots  were  left  naked,  containing  three  hundred  and  twenty  one  wooden  buildings,  many,  often 
double  tenements,  thirty  five  brick,  four  hundred  and  sixty  three  buildings,  exclusive  of  out  build- 
ings. The  estimated  loss  upwards  of  four  millions.  The  fire  was  extinguished  between  twelve  and 
one  o'clock  the  next  day,  and  if  possible  the  scene  became  moi'e  painfully  distressing.  Wherever  an 
open  space  promised  security  from  the  flames,  jjroperty  of  every  description  had  been  deposited  in 
vast  heaps.  Some  were  gazing  in  silent  despair  on  the  scene  of  destruction,  others  were  busily  and 
sorrowfully  emjiloyed  in  collecting  what  little  was  spared  to  them.    Alas,  never  did  the  sun  set  on 

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niSTOBIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


135 


a  gloomier  day  for  Savannah,  or  on  so  many  aching  hearts.  Those  whose  avocations  called  them 
forth  that  night,  will  long  remember  its  sad  and  solemn  stillness,  interrupted  only  by  the  sullen 
sound  of  falling  ruins.  During  the  excitement  while  the  heart  of  the  city  was  wrapped  in  flames, 
each  one  was  too  busy  for  reflection,  but  when  the  danger  was  past  and  the  unfortunate  suiferers 
had  leisure  to  contemplate  the  extent  of  their  losses,  a  generous  mind  may  conceive,  but  it  is  impos- 
sible to  describe  their  feelings  of  despair. 

The  destruction  by  the  fire  of  the  market  buildings  enabled  the  City  Fathers 
to  make  a  change  in  the  market  site.  An  ordinance  was  passed  authorizing  the 
erection  of  a  public  market  on  the  green  of  South  Broad  street,  "  the  centre  of 
which  shall  be  opposite  Barnard  street,  extending  east  and  west  of  South  Broad 
street."  So  important  was  this  change,  that  the  name  of  the  street  became 
Market  street,  posted  in  large  letters  on  the  market  building  and  other  parts  of 
the  street.  To  make  the  site  a  permanent  one,  a  number  of  town-meetings  were 
held.  The  citizens  in  favor  of  the  old  site  waged  a  hot  warfare,  records  were 
searched,  arguments  for  and  against  were  published  in  the  daily  papers,  with  the 
final  result,  a  return  to  the  old  site  in  Ellis  square.  In  the  Saturday's  issue  of 
the  "Georgian,"  on  December  first,  1821,  the  following  advertisement  occurs: 
"To  epicures,  the  market  in  Ellis  Square,  the  old  spot  will  be  opened  on 
Monday  morning  next  third  of  December  with  good  beef,  veal,  mutton,  pork, 
fowls,  fish  and  vegetables.  The  Butchers."  We  cannot  fail  to  entertain  the  feeling 
of  satisfaction  that  must  have  possessed  the  worthy  anti-new  marketites,  when 
upon  that  December  morning  they  resumed  their  market-baskets  and  trudged  the 
old  familiar  waj' ;  yea,  the  thrill  of  triumph  seizes  us,  and  we  join  with  them  in  the 
wish  that  the  time-honored  spot  be  the  market-place  a  hundred  years  hence,  — 
nay,  forever.  Add  new  markets,  if  needs  must,  to  suit  the  wants  of  the  growing 
city,  but  turn  not  the  original  site  from  its  purpose. 

Generous  aid  came  to  Savannah  from  Northern  and  Southern  States ;  those 
in  comfortable  circumstances  endeavoring  to  allay  the  suffering  and  distress  of  their 
more  unfortunate  fellow-citizens.  A  baker,  by  name  Brasch,  deserves  remem- 
brance, from  this  advertisement :  "  Bread  Gratis.  Those  persons  who  have  been 
burnt  out  by  the  late  fire,  and  who  have  not  the  means  of  purchasing  bread,  will 
be  supplied  at  the  establishment  of  the  suljscriber  gratis,  for  eight  days  from  this 
date.  P.  Brasch."  A  year  or  so  afterward  the  name  P.  Brasch  heads  a  list  of 
names  for  aldermen  for  the  city,  the  generous  baker  honored  by  the  city  which 
he  had  favored  in  its  distress.    Again,  we  see:  "Notice  to  Distressed  Persons. 


13(3 


HISTOBir  AND   PICTUREHQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  corner  house  on  the  lane  on  the  east  of  Barnard  street,  now  in  possession  of 
Major  John  Scriven,  is  the  place  of  deposit  for  Rice  and  Corn  furnished  by  the 
Planters  of  our  Country  for  the  use  of  all  who  want  either  of  those  articles  —  they  will 
be  delivered  under  the  superintendence  of  Alderman  Bourke  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 

morning.  Beef  also  kindly  furnished  by  the  same 
persons,  will  be  delivered  at  the  same  time  and 
place,  under  the  direction  of  John  H.  Ash,  Esquire, 
and  one  or  either  of  these  gentlemen  will  attend  to- 
morrow and  begin  to  issue  the  above  aid  to  the 
poor."  / 

The  fifth  of  September  a  vessel  arrived  from 
the  West  Indies  with  yellow-fever  on  board.  In  a 
few  days  the  fever  had  gained  a  foothold  in  the  city, 

and  in  two  months' 
time  two  hundred 
and  thirty-nine 
persons  had  been 
stricken  down; 
many  fled  fi^om  the 
city.  A  census, 
taken  late  in  Octo- 
ber, showed  that 
out  of  the  seven 
thousand  five 
hundred  and  twen- 
ty-three inhabitants, 
at  the  outbreak  of 
the  pestilence,  but 
one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  ninety- 
four  remained  in  the 

city,  and  three  hundred  and  forty-three  houses  were  uninhabited.    The  loss  of  life 
"was  confined  mostly  to  the  foreign  population  who  had  come  the  winter  previous. 
On  Monday,  October  second,  1820,  the  following  motion  was  passed:  "Resolved 
that  the  Mayor  be  requested  to  issue  a  spirited  address,  requesting  citizens  to  use 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH  137 

their  utmost  efforts  to  collect  leaves  and  berries,  fallen  from  the  effects  of  yester- 
day's storm,  and  to  carry  them  on  the  common,  for  if  not  removed,  an  increased 
^tate  of  disease  will  attend  the  door  of  every  person  neglecting  this  suggestion,  in 
the  meantime,  all  the  aid  in  the  power  of  the  Mayor  is  requested  to  be  employed  for 
this  necessary  purpose."  On  Thursday,  the  ninth  of  November,  1820,  on  the  motion 
of  Alderman  Sheftall,  it  was  "Resolved  unanimously  that  Council  tender  to  the 
Mayor  their  thanks,  for  his  manly  sympathies  and  generous  conduct  during  the 
malignant  disease  which  afflicted  our  devoted  city  during  the  past  season."  Thanks 
were  also  tendered  to  Peter  Schick,  Esq.,  "  for  the  fliithful,  unremitted  and  vigilant 
discharge  of  his  perilous  and  highly  important  duties,  as  Superintendent  and 
Commander  of  the  City  Guard,  during  the  awful  period  of  the  late  desolating 
pestilence." 

In  1821  occurs  the  first  mention  of  a  salary  in  connection  with  the  mayoralty, 
when  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  bill  entitled  "  An  ordinance  for  allow- 
ing the  mayor  a  salary  annually." 

The  corner-stone  of  the  synagogue  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Liberty  and 
Whitaker  streets  was  laid  on  Wednesday,  the  twentieth  of  April,  1820,  with 
impressive  ceremonies,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  witnesses.  On  the 
fourth  of  December,  1829,  the  wooden  synagogue  was  destroyed  by  an  accidental 
fire ;  the  seraphim  and  ark,  however,  were  saved  without  injury. 

In  1838  a  brick  structure  was  erected  on  the  same  site.  Here  the  conareo-a- 
tion  continued  to  worship  till  the  erection  of  the  present  Gothic  temple  on  Monterey 
square.  An  interesting  bit  of  Jewish  pastoral  history  is  connected  with  the  pi'esent 
pastor  of  Mickva  Israel.  He  belongs  to  a  family  of  ministers  to  whom  falls  the  honor 
of  ministering  to  the  oldest  Hebrew  congregations  in  America. 

Abraham  P.  Mendes,  whilst  principal  of  Northwick  College,  London,  England, 
educated  for  the  ministry  his  two  sons,  De  Sola  and  H.  Pereii'a  Mendes,  with  his 
nephew,  Isaac  P.  Meiides.  To-day,  Abraham  P.  Mendes  presides  over  the  Hebrew 
congregation  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  his  son,  H.  Pereira  Mendes,  over  that  of 
Shearith  Israel,  New  York  City,  and  his  nephew,  Isaac  P.  Mendes,  over  that  of 
Mickva  Israel,  Savannah,  Georgia,  the  three  constituting  the  oldest  Hebrew  congre- 
gations in  America.  Isaac  P.  Mendes  was  elected  in  December,  1873,  as  minister 
to  the  congregation  of  Beth  Shalome,  Richmond,  Virginia.  In  May  of  1877  he 
received  a  unanimous  call  to  Savannah,  where  he  continues  his  labors  as  a  zealous, 
untiring  pastor. 


138 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


"  The  Savannah  Widows'  Society  for  the  relief  of  indigent  widows  with 
families,  and  other  destitute  females,"  due  to  the  charitable  impulses  of  a  number 
of  ladies  in  the  city,  was  instituted  on  January  first,  1822.  The  society  was  for 
many  years  sustained  in  its  work  by  annual  subscriptions  and  voluntary  donations 


as  an  asylum  for  aged  pensioners.  Here  the  society  remained  till  1859,  when, 
owing  to  the  bequest  of  Mrs.  Dorothea  Abraham,  it  came  into  possession  of 
the  building,  admirably  adapted  for  the  purpose,  on  the  north-east  corner  of 
Broughton  and  East  Broad  streets.  The  "  Abraham's  Home "  (so  named  for 
the  donor)  "  for  aged  women,  without  regard  to  religious  sect  or  nationality,"  now 
shelters  thirty-six  aged  women,  who  find  within  its  walls  the  comforts  and  the 
privacy  of  a  home. 

A  companion  charity  is  the  "  Mary  Telfair  Home,"  a  bequest  from  Miss  Marj' 
Telfair,  consisting  of  four  brick  tenement  buildings  on  President  street.  This  was 
thrown  open  in  the  year  1883,  for  the  reception  of  widows  with  families  of  small 
children.  To  each  family  is  given  a  flat  of  three  rooms,  with  partial  support  in 
health,  and  additional  aid  in  time  of  sickness.  Both  homes  are  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Savannah  AYidows'  Society,  of  whom  the  following  ladies  constitute  the 
present  board:  — 

Mrs.  O.  Cohen       ......  First  Directress, 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Lathrop     .....  Second  Directress. 

Mrs.  Champion       ......  Secretary. 

Miss  Tufts     .......  Treasurer. 


from  the  good  people  of  the  city.  In  1834,  two  lots  on  South  Broad  street  were  given 
by  the  City  Fathers,  the  society  erecting  a  row  of  small  wooden  buildings,  to  serve 


Miss  Fanny  Minis, 
Mrs.  G.  L.  Cope,  Sr., 
Mrs.  J.  S.  P.  HousTOUN, 
Mrs.  Fred.  Habeksham, 
Mrs.  Blois, 
Mrs.  C.  Connerat, 
Mrs.  Jos.  Solomons, 
Miss  Gertrude  Saussy, 
Miss  De  Lettre, 


Mrs.  William  Lawton, 
Mrs.  M.  Maclean, 
Mrs.  Thos.  Screven, 


Mrs.  Jos.  Huger, 
Mrs.  Bowman, 


Mrs.  Wm.  Waples, 
Miss  Mary  Lamar, 
Miss  Mary  Owens, 
Mrs.  Schirm. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


139 


A  holiday  spirit  was  rife  in  Savannah  during  the  year  1824.  Washington's 
Birthday  and  the  Fourth  of  July  were  celebrated  with  marked  enthusiasm,  and  the 
city  reacted  from  the  depression  of  four  years  before.  An  oratorio  was  given  in 
the  Independent  Presbyterian  church  for  the  benefit  of  the  Female  Orphan  Asylum, 
under  the  direction  of  Lowell  Mason,  the  Avell-known  composer  of  church  music, 
who  officiated  as  organist  in  the  Independent  church  from  1820  to  1827.  During 
this  engagement  he  composed  the  familiarly  known  "  Missionary  Hymn,"  setting  it 
to  those  words  of  Bishop  Heber,  "From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains."  It  was 
written  for  a  missionary  meeting  in  the  Independent  Presbyterian  church,  where 
for  the  first  time  it  was  sung.    This  is  the  current  belief  in  Savannah. 

A  recent  account,  taken  from  the  "  Religious  Herald,"  gives  the  origin  of  the 
music  to  Charleston.  According  to  this,  the  hymn  written  by  Bishop  Heber  in 
Ceylon,  in  1824,  reached  America  about  a  year  later.  A  lady  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  struck  with  its  beauty,  could  find  no  tune  to  suit  it.  Remembering  a  young 
bank  clerk,  Lowell  Mason,  who  had  a  reputation  as  a  musical  genius,  she  sent  her 
son  to  ask  him  to  write  a  tune  for  the  hymn.  In  just  a  half  hour  the  boy  returned 
with  the  music,  and  that  melody,  dashed  off  in  such  haste,  to-day  is  sung  with  the 
words  of  Bishop  Heber's  hymn.  The  composition  of  the  music  occurred  in  1825, 
one  of  tlie  years  of  Lowell  Mason's  engagement  as  an  organist  in  the  Independent 
Presbyterian  church  in  Savannah.  It  is  therefore  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Savannah, 
and  not  Charleston,  was  the  birthphice  of  the  music. 

On  the  twentieth  of  Decem))er,  1824,  St.  Andrew's  Society  became  an  incor- 
porated body,  by  act  of  the  State  Legislature.  In  point  of  age  it  ranks  second  to 
the  Union  Society.  By  members  it  is  claimed  of  equal  age,  dating  back  to  1750, 
when  possibly  the  Union  Society  and  St.  Andrew's  had  a  common  origin  in  St. 
George's  Society,  composed  at  first  of  Scotch  emigrants.  However  uncertain  the 
date  of  its  birth,  the  year  1764  marks  the  adoption  of  certain  "  rules  and  regula- 
tions "  governing  the  society.  The  l)road  purpose  of  the  society  is  well  stated  in 
the  opening  Avords  of  the  preamble  :  "  To  cherish  the  recollections  of  our  homes  and 
the  birthplace  of  our  fathers  ;  to  i)romote  good  fellowship  among  Scotchmen  and 
their  descendants  in  this  adopted  country  ;  and  to  extend  to  unfortunate  Scotchmen 
and  their  families  assistance  and  counsel  in  case  of  necessity." 

During  the  War  of  1812  no  record  is  preserved  of  the  meetings  of  the  society. 
A  blank  occurs  till  the  year  1819,  when  on  the  twenty-third  day  of  November,  the 
anniversary  of  St.  Andrew,  the  tutelar  saint  of  Scotland,  the  society  reassembled 


140 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


and  elected  the  following  officers  :  Robert  Mitchell,  President ;  William  Taylor, 
Vice-President:  Roljert  Isaac,  Vice-President;  John  Bogue,  Secretary:  James 
Carruthers,  William  Smith,  Stewards. 

At  that  dinner  the  following  toasts  were  given,  with  the  injunction  that  they 
were  to  be  given  at  every  anniversary  dinner  as  standard  toasts :  — 


First 

Second 

'Third 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Sixth 

Seventh 

Eighth 

Ninth 

Tenth 

Eleventh 

Tvelfth 

Thirteenth 


The  Pious  and  Immortal  Memory  of  St.  Andrew. 
The  Kirk  of  Scotland. 
The  King. 

The  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  Land  o'  Cakes. 

The  Land  we  live  in. 

All  who  Celebrate  the  Day. 

Rob.  Gibbs'  Contract. 

Geordie  McGregor's  Malison. 

Tlie  Beo-gar  Benison. 

A'  the  Bonny  Lassies  that  whir  amang  the  Heather. 

The  Memory  of  Burns. 

Success  to  Benevolent  Societies. 

a  flourishing  condition,  under  the  following  officers  :  — 

President. 

First  Vice-President. 
Second  Vice-President. 
Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
.        .       .       .      Corresponding  Secretary. 
Steward. 


To-day  the  society  is  i 
James  T.  Stewart 

P.   M.  DOUGAN  . 

Thomas  Ballantyne 
H.  A.  McLeod  . 
W.  W.  Fraser  . 
J.  N.  Lang 
William  Falconer 
M.  Y.  McIntyre 

The  year  1824  witnessed  the  return  of  Lafayette  to  America,  nearly  fifty  years 
after  his  first  arrival  in  the  country,  to  plunge  with  youthful  ardor  into  that  country's 
struggle  for  independence.  His  arrival  liecame  a  national  event.  Upon  the  theme 
"Lafayette  "  a  height  of  enthusiasm  was  reached  throughout  the  land  that  has  since 
never  been  equalled.  The  charm  of  his  chivalrous  bearing  during  the  Revolution 
clung  to  the  general  of  threescore  years  and  more.    Many  echoed  the  remark  of  the 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


141 


old  lady  in  Philadelphia  who  remembered  him  in  Revolutionary  times,  "  Let  me  pass, 
that  I  may  again  see  that  good  young  marquis."  No  crowned  head  could  boast  of  a 
more  triumphal  tour,  for  it  was  the  conquest  of  hearts,  not  of  military  force ;  the 
rich,  the  poor,  the  high,  the  low,  cities,  villages,  merchants,  ijackwoodsmen,  states- 
men, the  red  men,  —  all  vied  in  generous  rivalry  to  give  a  welcome  to  the  "  Nation's 
Guest,"  whom  Carlyle  has  styled  "the  hero  of  two  continents." 

Starting  upon  this  tour  through  the  Southern  and  Western  States  in  February, 
1825,  according  to  his  friend  and  private  secretary,  A.  Levasseur,  "in  less  than 
four  months  he  had  travelled  a  distance  of  upwards  of  live  thousand  miles,  traversed 
seas  near  the  equator,  and  lakes  near  the  Polar  Circle  ;  ascended  rapid  rivers  to  the 
verge  of  civilization  in  the  New  World,  and  received  the  homage  of  sixteen 
republics."  Allowing  for  the  exaggerated  speech  of  a  Frenchman  viewing  the 
mammoth  proportions  of  our  country  for  the  first  time,  it  was  an  extraordinary 
journey,  even  in  the  light  of  our  present  civilization  and  chained-lightning  mode  of 
travel.  This  well-planned  itinerary  arouses  admiration,  carried  out  mostly  by  coach 
and  by  horse,  and  within  the  time  prescribed.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  New 
York,  in  August  of  1824,  throughout  his  journeyings,  his  movements  were  faithfully 
recorded  in  the  daily  papers  of  Savannah,  and  were  eagerly  followed  by  Savan- 
nahians,  till  within  their  own  fair  city  they  welcomed  the  "well-beloved  guest."  The 
following  is  an  extract  from  one  of  the  daily  papers  :  — 

THE  RECEPTION  OF  LAFAYETTE 

This  happy  event  took  place  on  Saturday,  the  nineteenth  of  March,  1825.  Almost  up  to  the 
last  hour  the  time  of  the  probable  arrival  of  our  venerated  G-uestwas  but  conjectural ;  opinions  were 
vai'ious  as  to  the  moment  at  which  he  might  be  expected,  and  all  the  preparations  for  giving  eclat  to 
the  visit  were  confined  to  little  more  than  a  week.  How  well  the  time  was  improved,  the  detail  of 
the  circumstances  attending  it  will  shew;  it  was  a  labour  of  affectionate  respect,  in  which  all 
appeared  to  join  with  heart  and  hand.  As  the  time  aijproached,  the  interest  proportionately 
increased.  The  stages  and  packets,  particularly  from  the  South,  were  crowded  with  passengers. 
The  Liberty  County  Troop  of  Light  Dragoons,  under  the  command  of  Captain  W.  M.  Maxwell,  and 
the  Darien  Hussars,  Captain  Charles  West,  had  early  evinced  their  anxious  desire  to  do  honour  to 
the  occasion,  and  had  reached  town  on  the  Tuesday  preceding.  On  Friday  evening  all  appeared  to 
be  in  a  buzz  of  expectation,  and  numerous  parties  were  collected  in  almost  eveiy  spot  on  Bay-street 
and  elsewhere ;  every  one  with  a  face  of  pleasure  and  expectation.  At  half  past  five  o'clock  on 
Saturday  morning  by  a  signal  from  the  Chatham  Artillery,  the  Military  were  warned  to  repair  to 
their  several  parade  grounds.  The  line  was  formed  at  eight  o'clock,  soon  after  which,  there  being 
no  appearance  of  the  Boat,  the  troojos  stacked  their  arms  and  were  dismissed  until  the  arrival.    At  an 


142 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


earlj-  hour  the  French  and  American  flags  were  hoisted  on  the  Exchange  steeple,  the  Revenue  Cutter 
GaUatin,  Captain  Matthews,  was  also  decorated  with  flags,  and  the  Merchant  Vessels  were  dressed 
in  the  same  manner.  On  Bay  street  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  City  from  under  the  Bluff, 
were  placed  two  French  brass  pieces,  one  of  which,  tradition  informs  us,  was  received  in  this  country 
by  the  same  vessel  that  brought  over  Lafayette ;  they  were  manned  by  a  company  of  masters  of 
vessels,  and  others  who  volunteered  for  the  occasion.  The  resort  to  the  Eastern  part  of  the  bluff  was 
general  at  an  early  part  of  the  morning,  continuing  to  increase  during  the  day ;  and  at  the  time  of  the 
arrival  was  crowded  with  ladies  and  citizens  at  every  point  which  could  command  a  view  of  the 
landing.  A  temporary  landing  was  erected  at  the  wharf,  consisting  of  a  flight  of  steps  and  a  plat- 
form.   During  the  morning  many  an  eye  was  strained  in  the  hopeless  task  of  transfoi-ming  the  fog 


THE     OWENS  MANSION. 

banks  and  mists  which  hung  over  the  lowlands  between  Savannah  and  Tybee  into  the  steamboat 
bearing  the  guest  of  the  nation.  About  nine  o'clock  the  mists  dispersed,  the  skies  were  cleared,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  day  was  as  pleasant  and  delightful  as  Spring  and  a  balmy  atmosphere  could 
make  it.  At  the  time  the  weather  cleared  up,  a  gentle  breeze  arose  blowing  directly  up  the  I'iver,  as  if 
to  add  speed  to  the  vessel  which  was  to  land  liini  on  oiir  shores.  At  an  early  hour  the  Committee  of 
Reception  deputed  from  the  Joint  Connnittee,  together  with  Colonels  Bi'ailsford  and  Randoljjh,  Aids 
of  His  Excellency  Governor  Troup,  jjroceeded  to  Foi't  Jackson  in  three  barges,  decorated  with 
flags,  rowed  by  seamen  in  blue  jackets  and  white  trowsers,  under  the  command  of  Captains  NicoUs, 
Campbell  and  Dubois.  The  first  notice  of  the  arrival  of  the  welcome  vessel  was  by  a  few  strokes  of 
the  E.xchange  Bell.  A  few  minutes  after,  the  volume  of  smoke  which  accompanied  her,  was  percep- 
tible over  the  land  ;  she  was  then  about  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  off,  but  rapidly  approaching.  The  intel- 
ligence, "  The  boat's  in  sight,"  spread  with  electrical  rapidity,  and  the  bustle  which  had  in  some  meas- 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


143 


ure  subsided,  i-ecommenced  and  every  one  repaired  to  the  spot  where  his  landing  was  to  take  place. 


placed  in  position  on  the  green  in  front  of  the  avenue  of  trees,  their  right  on  East  Bay.  A  more 
gallant  and  splendid  military  display  we  have  never  seen ;  the  effect  was  beautiful,  every  corps 
exceeded  its  customarj'  numbers :  many  who  had  not  appeared  under  arms  for  ye-Avs,  shouldered 
them  on  this  occasion,  and  the  usual  pride  of  appearance  and  honourable  emulation,  was  ten  times 
increased  by  tlie  occasion. 

Those  who  know  the  Volunteer  Companies  of  Savannah  will  believe  this  to  be  no  empty 
compliment.  As  the  Steamboat  passed  Fort  Jackson,  she  was  boarded  by  the  Committee  of  Recep- 
tion. On  their  ascending  the  deck,  the  General  was  addressed  by  their  chairman,  Geoi'ge  Jones  Esq. 
The  boat  now  came  ujiin  gallant  style,  firing  by  the  way,  and  a  full  band  of  music  on  board  playing 
the  Marseillaise  Hymn  and  other  favourite  French  and  American  airs.  Her  appearance  was  im- 
posing and  beautiful,  to  which  the  splendid  and  glittering  uniforms  of  the  officers  from  South 
Carolina  who  attended  the  General  greatly  added.  As  the  Steamboat  came  up  to  her  anchorage, 
a  salute  was  fired  by  the  Revenue  Cutter  Gallatin,  Captain  Matthews.  General  Lafayette  was 
now  assisted  into  the  first  barge 


,\  line  was  then  formed  from  the  landing  place  on  the  wharf,  facing  ^ 
inwards,  composed  of  the  INIayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City,  the  Clergy, 

the  Judge  and  Officers  of  the  District  Court,  the  Sujierior  Court,  and  the  Court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer ;  the  Union  Society ;  deputations  from  the  Hibernian  Society,  with  their  badges  and 
banners ;  from  the  St.  Andrew's  Society  with  their  Badges ;  and  from  the  Agricultural  Society 
with  their  badges ;  and  citizens.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards,  it  was  resolved 
to  adopt  the  revolutionary  cockade,  during  the  visit  of  the  Nation's  Guest  — 

And  to  wear  the  uniform  of  the  corps  during  the  same  time,  except  wlien  ujjon  unavoidable 
business.  We  understand  the  volunteer  corps  will  generally  adopt  the  cockade  (black  and  white). 
The  officers  and  gentlemen  who  accompanied  the  General  in  the  Steamboat  from  Chai'leston,  besides 
the  Governor  of  that  State,  were,  Colonel  Huger,  Major  General  Youngblood,  General  Geddes, 
Adjutant  General  Earle,  Colonel  Keith,  Colonel  Butler,  Colonel  Chesnutt,  Colonel  Brown,  Colonel 
Clonnie,  Colonel  Fitsimmons,  Colonel  Taylor,  INIajor  Warley,  Ma,jor  Hamilton,  Captain  Moses,  and 
Messi's  Bee  and  McCloud  ;  Colonel  Huger  and  Major  Hamilton  alone  accejjted  the  invitation  of  the 
Committee  to  land  and  participate  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  procession.  The  Constitution  of  South 
Carolina  having  prohibited  the  Governor  of  that  state  from  passing  its  limits,  obliged  him  to  decline 
the  civility  of  the  Committee  and  courtesy  to  the  Cliief  Magistrate  of  their  State,  no  doubt  was  the 
dominant  motive  with  the  officers  who  accompanied  liini  in  likewise  declining  the  invitation  to  join 
in  the  review  and  procession.  As  the  (Jeneral  placed  his  foot  upon  the  landing  place,  a  Salute  was 
fired  by  the  Chatham  Artillery  in  line  on  the  Bluff,  with  four  brass  field  jjieces,  four  and  six  pounders, 
one  of  which  was  captured  at  Yorktown.    He  was  here  received  bj-  Wm.  C.  Daniell  Esq.  Mayor  of 


The  troojjs  were  immediately  formed  and  marched  to  the  l()v\-er  part  of  Bay  street,  where  they  were 


accompanied  by  the  Committee  and 
others,  the  other  boats  being  occu- 
pied by  the  remainder  of  the  suite. 
As  the  boat  reached  the  shore  the 
excitement  in  every  face  increased. 


144 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 
1^ 


the  city.  Six  cheers  were  now  given  by  the  whole  of  the  Citizens,  who  were  assembled  on  the 
gratifying  occasion ;  for  which  the  Genei'al  expressed  his  grateful  acknowledgments  to  those 
nearest  him.  Supported  by  the  Mayor  and  attended  by  the  Committee  of  Reception,  he  now  ascended 
the  Bluff,  followed  by  his  suite,  the  Members  of  the  Corporation,  the  Societies  and  Citizens.  Here 
he  was  again  enthusiastically  cheered.  On  arriving  at  the  top  of  the  Bluif,  on  the  green,  he  was 
presented  to  Governor  Troup,  by  whom  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  he  was  welcomed  to  the  soil  of 
Georgia.  Lafayette  replied  in  feeling  terms.  The  General  was  then  inti'oduccd  to  several  revolu- 
tionary soldiers ;  among  those  present  were  General  Stewart,  Colonel  Shellman,  Eb  Jackson, 
Sheftall  Sheftall,  and  Captain  Rees.  The  utmost  animation  appeared  to  sparkle  in  the  eyes  of  the 
General  at  this  time.  This  was  particularly  the  case  when  the  latter  addressing  him  with  a  cordial 
grip  of  the  hand,  said,  "  I  remember  you,  I  saw  you  in  Philadelphia,"  and  proceeded  to  narrate 
sometriiling  incidents  of  the  occasion ;  to  which  the  General  replied,  "  Ah,  I  remember !  "  and  taking 
Captain  Rees's  hand  betweeu  both  of  his,  the  eyes  of  each  glistening  with  pleasure,  they  stood  for 
a  few  moments  apparently  absorbed  in  recollections  of  the  days  of  their  youth.  The  ofl&cers  of  the 
brigade  and  of  the  regiment  were  then  introduced.  Whilst  these  introductions  were  going  on, 
a  salute  was  fired  along  the  whole  line  of  infantry.  The  General  and  suite,  together  with  the 
Governor  and  suite,  the  Revolutionary  Officers,  Mayor,  Committee  of  Reception,  Guests,  General 
Harcjen  and  Suite,  Colonel  McAllister,  and  the  Field  Officers  fi'om  the  adjoining  Counties  proceeded 
on  foot  down  the  front  of  the  line,  in  review.  After  passing  the  troops  the  General  ascended  the 
carriage  prepared  for  his  reception,  and  the  procession  moved  in  the  following  order:  — 

1st.    F.  M.  Stone,  Mai'shal  of  the  City,  with  staft"  of  office. 

2d.    Divisions  of  the  Georgia  Hussars,  Liberty  and  Mcintosh  Troops  of  Cavalry,  Jas.  Barnard 
•     first  Marshal  with  Staff. 

3d.    (ieneral  Lafayette  and  Governor  Troup,  in  a  Landau  drawn  by  four  grey  horses. 
4th.    The  Mayor  of  the  City  and  Colonel  linger,  in  a  second  Carriage. 
5th.    G.  W.  Lafayette  and  Mr.  LeVasseur  in  a  third  carriage. 
6th.    Revolutionaiy  officers  in  a  fourth  carriage. 

7th.  Brigadier  General,  the  suites  of  the  Governor  and  the  General  J.  Habersham,  second 
Marshal  and  Staff. 

8th.    The  Committee  of  Council,  of  the  Citizens  and  of  Officers. 
9th.  Aldermen. 

10th.  The  Reverend  Clergy,  Judges,  Officers  of  the  United  States  Consuls,  Officers  of  Courts, 
H.  Cope  third  Marshal  with  Staff,  E.  Bourquin  fourth  Marshal. 

11th.  Tlie  Union,  The  Hibernian,  The  St.  Andrew's,  and  Agricultural  Societies  in  ranks  of 
eight,  Citizens  in  i-anks  of  eight.    Sam.  M.  Bond  fifth  Marshal,  Jos.  S.  Pelot  sixth  Marshal. 

12th.  Divisions  of  the  Georgia  Hussars,  Liberty  and  Mcintosh  Troops  of  Cavalry. 

13th.    Field  Officers  of  other  Regiments. 

14th.    Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

15th.  Company  Officers  of  the  first  and  other  Regiments.  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Chatham 
Artillery,  United  States  Troops,  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards,  Georgia  Volunteers,  Republican  Blues, 
Savannah  Juvenile  Guards,  ]\Iajor  and  Regimental  Staff. 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


145 


The  procession  moved  ujj  East  Broad  Street,  to  Broughton  Street,  from  thence  to  West 
Broad  Street,  from  thence  to  South  Broad  Street,  down  that  street  to  Abercorn  Street,  and  through 
Abercorn  Street  to  Oglethorpe  Square.  When  the  procession  began  to  move,  a  tliird  sahite  was 
fired  by  the  Marine  Corps  which  we  have  heretofore  mentioned.  We  should  not  forget  to  state, 
that  the  seamen  that  rowed  the  boats,  in  which  the  General  landed,  accompanied  the  carriage  in 
which  he  was  seated,  with  the  flags  of  their  boats.  The  procession  moved  as  prescribed  in  the 
arrangements  of  the  day,  and  about  half  past  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he  arrived  at  the 
lodgings  appropriated  for  him  at  Mrs.  Maxwell's  the  same  in  which  Governor  Troup  resided.  The 
time  of  his  landing  was  at  three  o'clock ;  so  that  the  reception  and  procession  took  uj)  about 
two  hours  and  a  half.  The  troops  then  filed  ofi"  to  the  South  Common  and  fired  a  National 
salute,  after  which  they  returned  to  the  quarters  of  the  General  to  whom  they  paid  the  marching 
salute. 

During  the  passage  of  the  procession,  the  windows  and  doors,  as  well  as  the  spacious  streets 
through  which  he  passed,  were  crowded  to  excess ;  and  the  expression  of  enthusiastic  feeling  was 
repeatedly  displayed  by  all,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  He  was  saluted  by  the  ladies  from  every 
place  affording  a  view  of  the  procession,  by  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs ;  which  he  returned  by 
repeated  and  continued  inclination  of  the  head  bowing  in  acknowledgment.  At  sundown,  another 
salute  was  fired  by  the  Maiine  Volunteer  Corps.  Such  was  the  inspiring  and  joyful  si^ectacle  pro- 
duced by  the  reception  of  General  Lafayette  in  our  City. 

The  presence  of  Lafayette  in  Savannah  was  made  the  occasion  of  the  ceremonies 
attending  the  hiying  of  the  corner-stones  of  two  monuments,  the  one  to  General 
Nathaniel  Greene  in  Johnson  square,  the  other  to  Puhiski  in  Chippewa  square,  both 
comrades-in-arms  of  Lafayette.  A  pleasing  feature  of  the  day's  ceremonies  was  the 
presence  of  five  hundred  school  children,  massed  together  within  one  section  of 
Johnson  square.  The  girls  wore  plain  white  frocks,  with  short  sleeves  looped  up 
with  sky-blue  ribbon,  sashes  to  correspond,  long,  white  gloves,  with  a  likeness  of 
Lafayette,  the  hair  plain.  The  boys  wore  blue  coats,  coatees  or  jackets,  white  pan- 
taloons, with  Lafayette  badges  on  the  left  breast.  They  held  baskets  with  flowers 
ready  to  shower  upon  General  Lafayette.  One  now  hoary  with  age,  then  a  bright, 
blue-eyed  boy,  took  the  hand  of  his  little  granddaughter  not  long  since,  saying, 
"Remember,  my  child,  this  hand  that  holds  yours  was  once  held  in  the  hand  of 
Lafayette,"  To  Lafayette  devolved  the  honor  of  the  ancient  Masonic  custom  of 
pouring  the  corn,  the  wine,  and  the  oil,  from  the  gold  and  silver  vessels,  upon  the 
corner-stone,  repeating  the  Masonic  prayer.  Upon  the  stone  was  the  following 
inscription  :  "  This  corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Major-General 
Nathaniel  Greene,  was  laid  by  General  Lafayette  at  the  request  of  the  Citizens  of 
Savannah,  on  the  twenty-first  of  March,  A.D.  1825."    Upon  the  other  was:  "On 


146 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the  twenty-first  Day  of  March,  A.D.  1825,  was  laid  by  General  Lafayette,  at  the 
request  of  the  Citizens  of  Savannah,  this  foundation-stone  of  a  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Brigadier  Count  Pulaski."  The  days  of  festivity  and  rejoicing  were 
brought  to  a  close.  The  last  pu1)lic  honor  paid  Lafayette  was  a  Masonic  dinner. 
Press  of  time  forced  him  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  a  ball  in  preparation.  When  the 
vessel  bearing  Lafayette  towards  Augusta  moved  from  the  wharf,  the  bluff,  crowded 
with  citizens  in  civil  and  military  garb,  rang  with  huzzahs  to  the  departing  hero, 

accompanied  by 
the  heavy  boom 
of  guns  in  fare- 
well salutation. 

The  house  in 
which  Lafayette 
was  entertained 
(now  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs. 
M.  W.  Thomas, 
on  Oglethorpe 
square)  presents 
to-day  much  the 
appearance  that 

THE    HABERSHAM    MANSION.  .  m^^K 

it  did  m  1825. 

Built  by  the  eminent  architect  Jay  for  an  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Richardson, 
who  married  a  Miss  Bolton,  it  came  into  possession  of  the  Owens  family  more  than 
fifty  years  ago.  At  the  time  of  Lafayette's  visit  it  was  one  of  the  leading  boarding- 
houses  of  the  city,  much  frequented  by  oflScial  visitors,  and  kept  by  a  Mrs.  Max- 
well.   Lafayette  occupied  the  room  on  the  southern  side,  overlooking  the  veranda. 

Among  the  more  modern  houses  of  the  city  none  equal  in  beauty  of  design  and 
a  certain  air  of  substance  and  solidity  those  mansions  built  in  the  first  quarter  of  this 
century.  The  Habersham  mansion,  fronting  on  Barnard  street,  bears  the  touch  of  the 
same  period  and  the  same  master  mind.  It  has  remained  in  the  Habersham  family, 
whose  annals  from  the  earliest  colonial  days,  when  James  Habersham  was  the  friend 
of  Oglethorpe,  to  the  present  time,  have  been  alike  honorable  to  nation  and  State. 
One  of  the  best  governors  of  Georgia,  and  an  al>le  postmaster-genei'al  to  President 
Washington,  were  members  of  this  sterling  family. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


147 


The  year  1S27  saw  the  culmination  ol"  a  schism  in  the  Independent  Presbyterian 
Congregation  lead  to  the  formation  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  Lowell 
Mason  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  movement.  From  its  foundation  the  Inde- 
pendent Presbyterian  Church  has  been  governed  by  its  own  Presbytery,  or  session 
of  Elders  or  Presbyters,  never,  however,  subject  to  the  General  Presl)ytery,  or  Court 
composed  of  Presbyters  or  Elders  from  a  certain  number  of  churches.  This  con- 
stitutes the  sole  diflerence  between  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church  and  other 
Presbyterian  churches. 

A  few  members  of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  in  1827,  possessed  of 
the  firm  conviction  that  the  church  should  be  governed  by  a  General  Court  of 
Presbyters,  instead  of  its  own  and  only  Court  of  Presbyters,  withdrew  from  the 
communion  of  the  church,  according  to  the  following  petition  and  the  subsequent 
dismission,  early  in  the  month  of  May,  1827  :  — 

To  the  Reverend  S.  B.  How,  Pastor,  and  the  Session  of  the  Independent  Church  in  Savannah. 
Brethren  —  The  undersigned  Members  of  the  Church  over  which  you  preside,  believing  that  the 
interests  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom  would  be  promoted  by  the  establishment  of  a  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  city,  respectfully  and  affectionatel}'  request,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  such  a 
church,  a  dismission  from  your  body.     We  are  brethi'en,  yours  etc. 

GEORGE   G.  FAIRIES, 
LOWELL  MASON, 
EDWARD  COPPEE, 
JOSEPH  GUMMING. 

In  rej)ly  to  which  they  received  the  following  regular  dismission  from  that 
church  (extract*  from  the  minutes  of  session  of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Con- 
gregation of  Savannah,  at  their  meeting  May  eighteenth,  1827)  :  — 

A  Communication  having  been  received  from  Messrs.  (xeorge  G.  Faii'ies,  Lowell  Mason  etc. 
requesting  to  be  dismissed  from  this  Chui'ch  ;  it  is  unanimously  resolved  by  Session  to  grant  their 
request;  that  they  be  and  are  hereby  dismissed  from  this  Church  as  Communicants  in  good  and  reg- 
ular standing. 

S.  B.  HOW, 
Moderator  of  the  Session. 

At  the  request  of  the  dismissed  members  the  moderator  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Georgia  visited  Savannah  to  inquire  into  the  particulars  of  the  case.  A  meeting 
of  Presbytery  was  appointed  to  be  held  on  Wednesday,  June  sixth,  when  formal 


148 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


application  was  made  for  the  constitution  of  a  church  in  connection  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States. 

Presbytery  unanimously  granted  the  request.  That  same  day  in  the  afternoon 
twelve  persons  by  name  were  solemnly  constituted  into  a  Church  of  Christ,  and 
ruling  elders  were  ordained,  the  church  to  be  known  as  the  "First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Savannah."  The  place  for  service  at  that  time  was  in  the  old  Lyceum 
Hall,  on  the  corner  of  Bull  and  Broughton  streets. 

About  1833  the  congregation  took  possession  of  a  small  wooden  structure  on 
the  south  side  of  Broughton  street,  between  Barnard  and  Jefferson  streets  ;  here  they 
worshipped  till  1856.  The  present  edifice  on  Monterey  square,  built  from  plans  fur- 
nished by  DeWitt  Bruyn,  was  dedicated  on  the  ninth  day  of  June,  1872,  the  dedica- 
tory sermon  being  pi^eached  by  Benjamin  Palmer,  D.D.,  of  New  Orleans,  a  former 
pastor  of  the  church,  in  1843. 

Under  the  present  pastor.  Reverend  J.  W.  Rogan,  the  church  has  reached  a 
state  of  prosperity  unequalled  in  its  past  history. 

The  year  1831  saw  the  beginnings  of  the  commanding  fortress  near  the  city. 

Fort  Pulaski,  situated  on  Cockspur  Island,  fourteen  miles  from  the  city,  was 
named  in  honor  of  Brigadier-General  Count  Pulaski.  The  site  was  selected  ])y 
Major  Babcock,  United  vStates  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  the  work  begun  in  1831, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Major-General  Mansfield,  of  the  United  States  Army. 
The  work  was  erected  to  command  both  channels  of  the  Savannah  river,  at  the  head 
of  Tybee  roads.  Sixteen  years  passed  before  its  massive  walls,  containing  over 
thirteen  millions  of  bricks,  at  an  expense  of  a  million  of  dollars,  arose  in  completion. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  thirties  the  southern  limit  of  the  city  was  the  north 
side  of  Liberty  street ;  beyond  lay  an  open  plain  extending  to  the  forest-growth 
on  the  outskirts.  On  the  east,  relieving  the  monotony  of  the  pines  and  the  com- 
mons, stood  the  grim  old  jail,  where  now  are  the  houses  of  Mr.  Cohen  and  Mr. 
Low.  The  high  brick  walls  surrounding  the  jail,  and  the  jail  itself,  were  painted  a 
dazzling  white,  which  had  a  gruesome  fascination  for  the  youthful  imaginations  of  the 
day.  A  phase  of  prison-life  now  little  known,  then  of  frequent  occurrence,  was 
imprisonment  for  debt.  Stones  marked  "J.  B."  (Jail  Bounds)  were  to  be  found  in 
the  neighboring  paths,  showing  the  limits  of  the  walks  of  the  prisoners  confined  for 
debt. 

To  the  east,  some  distance  out  of  town,  was  "  Fair  Lawn,"  Ihe  beautiful  home  of 
Major  William  P.  Bowen,  who  ever  extended  a  gracious  welcome  to  strangers,  as  well 


HISTOBIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


149 


THE    UNITED    STATES  BARRACKS. 


as  to  friends.  Where  once  bloomed  the  luxuriant  garden  surrounding  Fair  Lawn, 
with  its  varieties  of  flowers  indigenous  to  the  South,  and  its  fragrant  avenue  of  cape 
jasmines,  — a  rare  feature  even  in  Savannah,  —  now  are  to  be  seen  the  steel  rails  of 
the  extensive  Southern,  Florida,  and  Western  Railroad.  To  the  west,  oblicjuely 
gleaming  through  the  small  pines,  was  "  Oglethorpe  Cantonment,"  occupying  the  land 
from  Whitaker  street  nearly  to  West  Broad  street,  on  Hall  or  Gwinnett  street, 
extending  almost  to  New  Houston  street.  Here  the  United  States  troops  were 
stationed  in  one-story  white  wooden  buildings  with  white  piazzas,  surrounded  by 
a  high  white-washed  picketed  fence.  One  of  the  customs  of  those  days  was  the 
removal  of  the  United  States  troops  to  the  sand-hills  of  Augusta,  or  other  distant 
parts,  during  the  summer  months,  owing  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  Cantonment. 

Durinof  the  winter  of  1831  the  citizens  of  Savannah  began  to  ajjitate  the  erection 
of  a  permanent  barracks  within  the  city  limits.    A  memorial  was  drawn  up  by  the 


150 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SA VANNAH 


Mayor  and  Aldermen,  presenting  the  desirability  of  a  permanent  barracks  within  the 
city,  in  such  fair  terms  that  it  received  immediate  attention  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  Washington.  Orders  were  issued  to  find  suitable  quarters  for  the  summer 
months  within  the  city.  The  theatre  was  selected  on  account  of  its  size  and 
its  healthy  location.  The  stage  properties  were  removed,  and  the  vast  enclosure 
presented  the  odd  appearance  of  tier  after  tier  of  bunks  prepared  for  the  soldiers, 
the  officers  l)eing  quartered  in  the  vicinity.  The  venture  proved  a  successful  one. 
The  gratifying  report  was  made  in  October  of  1832  that  the  troops,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Merchant,  fifty-five  in  number,  had  l)een  as  healthy  as  they  would 
have  been  in  Augusta  sand-hills  ;  but  one  death  had  occurred,  and  sickness  had 
been  trifling.  During  the  next  session  of  Congress  an  appropriation  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars  was  made  for  a  site  and  the  building  of  a  barracks,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  United  States  troops  within  the  city  of  Savannah.  Until  the  com- 
pletion of  the  t)arracks,  the  theatre  remained  the  summer  headquarters  of  the  troops. 

In  1831  the  old  court  house  consisted  of  a  pile  of  bricks  pulled  down  to  make 
way  for  a  new  one.  It  had  been  injured  by  the  British  troops  quartered  therein 
during  the  Revolution,  also  by  shells  thrown  from  the  American  and  French  bat- 
teries during  the  siege  of  1779.  After  the  war  it  was  repaired  and  devoted  to  its 
legitimate  uses.  During  the  building  of  the  new  Court  House,  court  was  held  in  the 
Exchange  till  1833,  when  the  present  structure,  i)uilt  of  bricks  and  stuccoed,  two 
stories  in  height,  was  completed  and  ready  for  use. 

In  the  year  1833  the  Baptist  congregation  moved  from  the  house  of  worship 
on  Franklin  square  to  the  new  brick  edifice  on  Chippewa  square,  in  Brown  Ward, 
the  church  in  which  the  present  congregation  worships. 

The  charter  of  the  incorporation  of  the  Baptist  Church  was  drawn  up  by  the 
Honorable  John  McPherson  Berrien,  and  signed  by  Governor  Josiah  Tattnall,  in 
1801.  Henry  Holcombe,  D.D.,  was  the  first  pastor  and  projector  of  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  Georgia.  His  was  the  first  literary  work  published  in  Georgia, 
called  the  "  Georgia  Analytical  Repository." 

A  trite  saying  attributed  to  John  Randoli)h,  of  Virginia,  emanated  from  Doctor 
Holcombe.  The  story  runs  thus  :  while  visiting  a  parishioner  in  South  Carolina  he 
was  asked  by  a  servant  to  have  tea  or  coffee.  He  replied,  "  Tell  your  mistress  if 
that  is  coffee  I'll  take  tea,  and  if  that  is  tea  I'll  take  coffee." 

One  of  the  early  pastors  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Savannah  was  Reverend  J. 
G.  Binney,  a  man  of  liberal  views.    Later  he  was  appointed  by  the  American  Bap- 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


151 


tist  Mission  Union  a  missionary  to  Burmah,  India.  As  an  instructor  to  the  native 
Hindoos  he  could  not  be  excelled.  He  died  of  fever  on  his  homeward  way,  and 
was  l)uried  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 

In  February  of  1847  the  chui'ch  divided  into  two  branches,  known  as  the  First 
and  the  Second  Baptist  Congregations,  though  the  lirst  preserved  its  corporate  name. 
The  Second  Congregation  bought  the  building  owned  by  the  Unitarians,  on  the 
south-west  corner  of  Bull  and  York  streets.  There  the  congregation  worshipped 
till  the  sixth  of  February,  1859. 

The  reunion  of  the  First  and  Second  Congregations  took  place  after  a  separation 
of  twelve  years,  almost  to  a  day.  The  building  of  the  Second  Church  was  sold,  and 
from  the  proceeds  the  present  lecture-room  was  built  in  1861,  as  well  as  the  former 
parsonage  on  Jones  and  Drayton  streets.  A  pleasing  wooden  structure  has  recently 
been  built  in  the  south-eastern  portion  of  the  city.  Here  a  goodly  congregation 
assembles,  the  mother  church  having  one  of  the  largest  congregations  in  the  city, 
under  the  zealous  care  of  Keverend  J.  E.  L.  Holmes. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SAVANNAH,  in  1838,  had  a  population  of  about  seven  thousand.  Small  city  that* 
she  was,  her  reign  was  supreme  in  sea-island  cotton,  rice,  and  the  lumber 
trade.  Wealthy  planters  from  the  shores  of  the  Ogeechee,  Altamaha,  and  St. 
Mary's  rivers,  and  from  the  neighboring  sea  islands,  liberally  patronized  the  hotels 
of  the  day,  only  two  in  number,  but  with  an  enviable  fame.  Both  were  under  the 
efficient  management  of  Captain  Peter  Wiltberger,  a  notable  figure  for  many  years 
in  Savannah. 

The  Cit}'  Hotel,  on  Bay  street,  between  Bull  and  Whitaker  streets,  a  small 
brick  structure,  was  the  headquarters  of  the  planters  and  the  leisure  class  ;  while 
the  Mansion  House,  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Broughton  and  Whitaker  streets, 
fronting  on  Whitaker  street,  a  large  wooden  building  with  doul)le  piazzas,  became 
the  choice  of  the  less  prosperous. 

The  foundation  of  Ca{)tain  Wiltberger's  fortune,  as  well  as  his  reputation  for 
hospitality  and  good  cheer,  was  laid  in  the  small  City  Hotel. 

Later  he  bought  the  })r()perty  upon  the  north-west  corner  of  Bull  and  Bryan 
streets,  extending  to  and  including  Mrs.  Battey's  boarding-house,  which  stood  on 
both  sides  of  Bryan  street,  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Whitaker.  This  constituted 
one  of  the  most  desirable  of  the  many  flourishing  boarding-houses  in  the  city. 
Captain  Wiltberger  added  one  or  two  stories  to  the  part  adjoining  Mrs.  Battey's 
boarding-house,  carrying  the  improvements  to  Bull  street  and  the  lane  ;  the  whole  he 
called  the  "  Pulaski  House."  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  present  Pulaski  House.  For 
a  time  Captain  Wiltberger  had  the  monopoly  of  the  hotel  business  in  Savannah,  later 
he  relinquished  the  Mansion  House,  and  concentrated  his  energies  to  make  the 
Pulaski  House  a  noted  hotel  in  the  South.  A  unique  landlord  was  he,  owning  not 
only  the  building,  the  furniture,  and  all  equipments,  but  also  the  men  and  maid 
servants  of  the  establishment.  Captain  Wiltberger  managed  the  hotel  afiairs  with 
a  clock-like  precision,  the  result  of  his  early  life  in  command  of  a  merchant  vessel. 
At  that  time  the  present  Screven  House  was  in  embryo,  as  "  Mrs.  Piatt's  boarding- 

(  152  ) 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


153 


house,"  a  rival  to  "  Mrs.  Battey's  boarding-house."  The  rivah-y  has  been  preserved 
in  a  friendly  manner  between  the  two  houses  on  opposite  sides  of  Johnson  square. 

In  1835,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  "The  Poor  House  and  Hospital"  Society 
was  incorporated  upon  the  application  of  Joseph  Gumming,  S.  C.  Dunning,  R.  King, 
John  Gardner,  Matthew  Hopkins,  William  R.  Waring,  Charles  S.  Henry,  S.  D. 
Corbett,  Samuel  Philbrick,  N.  G.  Beard,  Francis  Sorrell,  R.  D.  Arnold,  and  P.  M. 
Kollock.  In  1819,  a  building  on  Gaston  street  (then  a  far  suburb  of  the  city), 
extending  from  Drayton  to  Abercorn  street,  was  erected  by  private  subscription, 
and  for  several  years  was  used  altogether  as  a  sailors'  hospital.  The  funds  of  the 
institution  were  increased  in  1830  by  a  legacy  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars  from 
Messrs.  James  Wallace  and  Thomas  Young. 

The  present  commodious  structure  was  built  in  1877,  upon  the  grounds  of  the 
old  building,  at  a  cost  of  forty  thousand  dollars.  Its  measurements  are  two  hundred 
by  sixty  feet.  There  are  seven  wards,  with  twelve  private  rooms.  This  charity 
occupies  ten  city  lots ;  its  extensive  grounds,  well  ordered  and  well  cared  for,  attract 
the  admiration  of  passers-by. 

"The  Savannah  Hospital,"  as  it  is  now  called,  is  under  the  direction  of  a  board 
of  seven  managers. 

George  J.  Mills,  President,  J.  M.  Solomons, 

William  Hunter,  R.  D.  Walker, 

C.  H.  HoLST,  W.  Duncan,  M.D. 

One  vacancy,  caused  by  the  death  of  General  R.  H.  Anderson. 
The  corps  of  physicians  is  as  follows  :  — 

Doctor  J.  D.  Martin,  Doctor  W.  Duncan, 

Doctor  T.  J.  Charlton,  Doctor  W.  W.  Owens, 

Doctor  J.  P.  S.  Houstoun,  Doctor  M.  L.  Boyd. 

The  institution  is  supported  by  the  interest  upon  its  investments  and  moneys 
arising  from  the  charges  for  pay-patients,  foreign  seamen,  and  an  annual  appropria- 
tion from  the  city  amounting  to  thirty-six  hundred  dollars,  and  one  thousand  dollars 
from  the  county,  the  sum  total  of  all  of  these  amounting  to  less  than  one-half  the 
annual  expense  of  maintenance. 

The  funds  of  the  hospital  arose  from  judicious  management  of  its  resources  and 
several  bequests  and  donations,  the  largest  of  these  being  a  donation  of  one  hundred 


154 


HISTOBIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


thousand  dollars  given  by  Mrs.  Chai'les  F.  Mills,  in  accordance  with  the  wish  of  her 
husband,  as  expressed  to  her  previous  to  his  death. 

.  Another  worthy  charity,  whose  incorporation  antedates  that  of  the  Savannah 
Poor-House  and  Hospital  by  three  years,  is  the  Georgia  Infirmary  for  the  support 

of  disabled  per- 
sons of  color. 
Originating 
from  an  endow- 
ment of  Thomas 
F.  Williams,  a 
small  tract  of 
land  being  given 
for  the  building 
l)y  Eichard  F. 
Williams,  it  be- 
came an  incor- 
poration by  an 
act  of  the 
Georo'ia  Leffis- 
lature  in  Decem- 
ber, 1832. 

This  hospital 
is  situated  on 
the  east  side 
of  Bull  street, 

south  of  the  toll-gate.     It  depends  for  support  upon  donations  from  the  city  and 
county,  with  a  small  amount  derived  from  paj^-patients,  the  city  contributing  thirty- 
six  hundred  dollars  annually  and  the  county  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
The  j)resent  Board  of  Managers  are, — 


CHRIST  CHURCH. 


John  I.  Stoddard, 


George  L.  Cope, 
W.  Duncan,  M.D., 
T.  J.  Charlton,  M.D., 
R.  D.  Walker, 


Henry  C.  Cunningham, 
J.  M.  Solomons, 
AV.  H.  Elliott,  M.D., 
J.  B.  Read,  M.D., 


President. 

John  X.  Lewis, 
J.  F.  R.  Tattnall, 
George  I.  Baldwin. 
C.  H.  Olmstead. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


155 


In  February  of  1837,  the  world-famed  magician,  Signor  Blitz,  made  his  first  how- 
to  the  Savannah  public,  delighting  all  eyes  with  his  marvellous  magic.  March  fourth 
of  that  same  year  witnessed  a  novel  sight,  — snow  fell  from  eight  to  ten  inches,  cover- 
ing the  ground  and  housetops.  Sleighs  were  hastily  improvised,  and  the  pleasure  of 
a  sleigh-ride,  never  before  nor  since  indulged  in  by  the  worthy  Savannahians  within 
their  own  city,  was  enjoyed  for  a  few  hours. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  February,  1838,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  of  the 
present  building  of  Christ  Church,  the  third  structure  that  has  occupied  the  time- 
honored  site  from  the  days  of  Oglethorpe  to  the  present.  The  following  inscription, 
placed  within  the  corner-stone,  gives  a  brief  history  of  the  church  :  — 

I.H.S. 

Glory  to  (jod.    Christ  Church. 
Founded  in  1743.    Destroyed  by  fire  1796. 
Refounded  on  an  enlarged  plan  in  1803. 
Partially  destroyed  in  the  hvu'rieane  of  1804. 
Rebuilt  in  1810.    Taken  down  in  1838. 
The  Corner  stone  laid  (February  26,  1838)  of  a  new  edifice  to  be  erected  (according  to  a  jjlan 
furnished  by  James  Ilamihon  Couper  Esq.  of  Ga.)  by  Amos  Scudder.  Mason  and  Gilbert  Butler. 
Carpenters  under  the  direction  of  AVm.  .Scarborougli,  Wm.  Tiiorne  Williams,  Robert  Habersham, 
Wm.  P.  Hunter,  Dr.  V.  Bartow,  ljuilding  committee. 
Reverend  Edward  Neufville  rector. 

Geo.  Jones,  M.D.,  Wm.  Thorne  Williams,  Robert  Habersham,  Wm.  Scarborough,  R.  R. 
Cuyler,  Wm.  P.  Hunter,  and  P.  ~Sl.  Kollock  M.D.,  vestrymen. 

Christ  Church  constitutes  the  oldest  ecclesiastic  organization  in  the  State,  dating 
from  the  first  Episcopal  service  held  in  Savannah  by  the  Reverend  George  Herbert, 
one  of  the  voyagers  in  the  galley  "  Ann." 

He  was  soon  succeeded  by  the  Eeverend  Samuel  Quincy,  of  the  celebrated  Massa- 
chusetts Quincy  family,  by  John  Wesley,  and  by  George  Whitefield.  Mr.  White- 
field  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  parish,  for  in  1743,  under  him,  the  parish 
was  regularly  organized  and  the  first  church  erected. 

During  the  rectorship  of  the  Reverend  Bartholomew  Zoube'rbuhler,  Colonel 
Barnard,  of  Augusta,  presented  the  church  with  the  first  organ  ever  seen  in  Georgia. 

In  1774  the  church  was  regarded  as  a  "  comfortable  preferment,"  the  salary 
being  upwards  of  three  hundred  pounds  sterling. 

The  Reverend  Haddon  Smith,  then  rector,  gave  great  oifence  to  the  Liberty 
party  by  his  pi'onounced  Loyalist  views.    A  committee  waited  upon  him  on  the 


156 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


twenty-second  of  July,  1775,  and  forbade  him  further  to  officiate  in  Georgia. 
Disregarding  the  command,  he  went  as  usual  to  the  church,  to  find  the  doors 
barred  against  him.  He  was  published  in  the  "  Gazette  "  as  an  enemy  to  America, 
and  was  turned  out  of  the  rectory.  The  fierceness  of  the  mob,  that  threatened  to 
tar  and  feather  him,  led  him,  with  his  family,  to  flee  to  Tybee.  From  thence  they 
sailed  for  Liverpool.  Services  were  sus[)ended  for  a  while  during  the  agitated  days 
of  war,  but  upon  the  capture  of  the  city  by  the  British  they  were  resumed. 

In  1815,  Bishop  O'Hara,  of  South  Carolina,  came  to  Savannah  to  consecrate  a 
building  then  recently  erected.  Here  was  held  the  tirst  Confirmation  service  in 
Georgia,  sixty  persons  being  presented  by  the  rector,  the  Reverend  ^Nlr.  Cranston. 

Bishop  William  Bacon  Stevens  said  of  the  Reverend  Edward  Xeufville,  for  a 
number  of  years  rector  of  Christ  Church,  "  He  was  a  charming  man,  a  loving,  tender 
pastor,  and  was  respected  by  the  whole  community.  Never  have  I  heard  our  Lit- 
urgy read  with  more  unction  and  eftectiveness  than  by  him,  while  his  reading  of  the 
Bible  was  like  an  illuminated  exposition  of  it,  so  exquisite  were  his  modulations,  and 
so  sweet  and  musical  his  voice."  Under  the  Reverend  Edward  NeufviUe  the  old 
building  was  taken  down. 

The  Reverend  Stephen  Elliott,  Jr.,  the  first  Bishop  of  Georgia,  was  rector  of 
Christ  Churcli  for  fourteen  years.    He  died  lamented  by  the  entire  South. 

The  present  pastor  is  the  Reverend  Thomas  Boone. 

The  last  year  of  the  thirtieth  decade  witnessed  a  "boom"  in  the  city  of 
Savannah.  According  to  the  Macon  "  Telegraph,"  Savannah  was  at  last  aroused 
from  her  Rip  Van  Winkle  slumber.  To  what  dominating  cause  may  this  sudden 
revival  be  attributed?  None  other  than  the  beginning  of  the  gigantic  Central 
Railroad  system,  which  has  proved  one  of  the  most  potent  agencies  in  Savannah's 
advancement.  The  prediction  uttered  by  one  of  Savannah's  influential  men  in  1839, 
we  may  yet  live  to  see  come  to  pass,  that  "  Georgia  is  the  gate  through  which 
the  great  trade  of  the  mighty  West  is  destined  to  pass  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean." 

The  Central  Raih-oad  Corporation,  which  to-day  with  its  one  thousand  six 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  miles  of  steel  railways  penetrating  the  territory  and 
developing  the  vast  resources  of  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  and  Alabama;  its 
splendid  ocean  steamships,  extensive  wharves,  elevators,  compresses,  terminal 
facilities,  and  l)anking-houses,  owned  and  controlled  by  Southern  money  and 
brains,  causing  the  vast  current  of  Southern  commerce  to  pour  through  Savannah 
and  Georgia,  was  in  1839  in  an  emln-yonic  state,  yet  its  influence  was  felt. 


* 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


157 


In  1834,  an  experimental 
survey  was  made  under  the 
direction  of  Colonel  Cruger, 
at  the  request  and  at  the  cost 
of  the  city  of  Savannah,  to 
ascertain  the  most  practicable 
route  to  Macon.  In  1835  the 
Central  Railroad  and  Banking 
Company  of  Georgia  was  or- 
ganized; it  began  operations  in  1836. 

By  May  of   1838,  sixty-seven  miles  were  graded, 
and  the  superstructure  laid  twenty-six  miles  from  the  city, 
to  which  point  engines  were  running. 

In  July,  passenger  trains  began  running  regularly,  at 
once  yielding  an  income  to  the  company ;  not,  however, 
until  the  thirteenth  of  May,  1843,  was  the  track  completed 

to  the  depot  in  Macon,  and  a  train  passed  over  the  whole  line,  one  hundred  and 
ninety  miles. 

To  W.  W.  Gordon,  Esq.,  the  originator  of  the  enterprise,  and  the  first 
president  of  the  road,  ably  assisted  by  Thomas  Purse,  Esq.,  do  the  city  and 
State  owe  gratitude  for  the  present  magnificent  scheme  which  has  triumphed  over 
almost  insurmountable  obstacles. 

The  Ocean  Steamship  Company,  which  forms  a  part  of  the  Central  Railroad 
system,  has  a  fleet  of  ten  steamships  plying  between  Savannah  and  the  Northern 
ports  of  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia.  Tvvo  additional  steamers  are 
contemplated,  and  it  is  confidently  hoped  in  the  near  future  that  a  daily  line  will 
run  between  New  York  and  Savannah. 

The  general  officers  of  the  system  are  as  follows' :  President,  E.  P. 
Alexander ;  Cashier,  T.  M.  Cunningham ;  ,  General  Manager,  M.  S.  Belknap ; 
General  Manager  Ocean  Steamship  Company,  G.  M.  Sorrel ;  Comptroller,  Edward 
Mclntyre ;  Traffic  Manager,  W.  F.  Shellman ;  General  Freight  Agent,  G.  A. 
Whitehead  ;  General  Passenger  Agent,  E.  T.  Charlton ;  General  Counsel,  Lawton 
and  Cunningham. 

To  return  to  the  city  of  1839,  the  finger  of  improvement  was  visible  at 
every  turn ;  five  years  before,  many  of  the  stores  along  the  Bay  were  closed  and 


158 


HTSTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


unoccupied ;  almost  every  l^uilding  was  in  a  state  of  decay.  In  1839  there  was 
scarcely  a  building  convenient  for  commercial  purposes  untenanted ;  stores  and 
counting-houses  were  newly  painted  and  decorated.  Within  the  interior  of  the 
city  large  brick  buildings  arose,  in  the  language  of  the  times,  "  to  a  colossal  height." 
Additional  steam-mills  were  put  into  operation,  and  various  steam-packet  lines 
were  established.  So  much  for  the  commercial  improvement.  Let  us  glance  at 
the  means  of  culture  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  The  "Savannah  Lil)rary 
Society,"  which  had  been  in  operation  a  number  of  years,  reached  a  low  ebb  in 
1838  ;  one  cause  which  operated  against  its  prosperity  being  its  inconvenient  location 
in  a  suburb  of  the  city.  Removed  nearer  business  activities,  on  Whitaker  street, 
near  the  Bay,  its  interests  were  advanced. 

Its  meml)ers,  seized  witli  the  new  spirit  of  enterprise,  entered  heartily  into  the 
work  of  renovation  and  improvement.  AVithin  tlie  room  of  the  Savannah  Library 
Society,  on  Friday  night,  the  twenty-fourth  of  May,  1839,  was  held  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society.  Twenty-five  persons  assembled,  represent- 
ing the  talent  of  the  city.  The  first  oflScers  of  the  society  were  Honorable  John 
McPherson  Berrien,  President ;  Honorable  James  M.  Wayne,  Fii'st  Vice-President ; 
Honorable  William  B.  Bulloch,  Second  Vice-President;  J.  K.  Tefft,  Esq.,  Corre- 
sponding Secretary  ;  Doctor  William  Bacon  Stevens,  Recording  Secretary  ;  Geoi'ge 
W.  Hunter,  Esq.,  Treasurer ;  Henry  Kirk  Preston,  Esq.,  Librarian  ;  Curators,  Will- 
iam Thorne  Williams,  Charles  S.  Henry,  John  C.  NicoU,  William  Law,  Richard  D. 
Arnold,  Robert  M.  Charlton,  Matthew  Hall  McAllister.  In  December  of  the  same 
year  the  society  became  an  incorporation,  by  :in  act  of  the  State  Legislature.  To 
whom  the  honor  of  the  first  suggestion  of  a  Georgia  Historical  Society  shall  be  ac- 
corded, there  may  be  a  ditt'erence  of  opinion,  but  there  can  be  none  concerning  the 
initial  measures  towards  the  formation  of  that  society.  William  Bacon  Stevens  and 
Israel  K.  Tefft,  later  joined  by  a  third,  Richard  D.  Arnold,  became  the  pioneers  in 
the  work,  the  original  founders  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  and  to  one  among 
that  number,  Israel  K.  Tett't,  must  the  impetus  of  the  movement  be  traced.  His 
literary  tastes  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  society,  for  his  rare  autograph  collection, 
the  work  of  years  of  patient  research,  from  early  boyhood's  days,  together  with  val- 
uable documents  in  his  possession  pertaining  to  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  his- 
tory of  Georgia,  aroused  the  literati  of  Savannah  to  the  importance  of  an  historical 
society  in  their  midst.  Upon  the  petition  of  the  society,  in  1842,  the  City  Council 
granted  a  city  lot  on  Liberty  street  for  the  erection  of  a  library  building.    The  site 


UIBTORIC  ANJJ   I'U'TUREHqUK  SAVANNAH 


159 


proved  ineligible,  too  far  removed  from  the  interests  of  its  memV)ers.  In  1847 
efforts  were  made  to  purchase  from  the  United  States  Government  the  lot  on  Biyan 
street,  between  Bull  and  Drayton  streets,  where  stood  the  Custom  House  and  tjost 
OflBce,  until  burned  some  time  in  the  thirties.  These  efforts  were  successful ;  and  to 
enable  the  society  to  pay  for  its  new  lot,  the  City  Council  granted  the  Liberty-street 
lot  to  the  society  in  fee-simple,  with  permission  to  sell  it  and  devote  the  proceeds  to 
the  purchase  of  the  Custom  House  lot. 
This  same  year  the  Georgia  Histori- 
cal Society  and  Savannah  Library 
Society  consolidated,  thus  securing 
about  twenty-five  hundred  volumes. 
In  June  of  1849  the  society  took 
possession  of  the  new  picturesque 
building  on  Bryan  street,  —  the 
upper  story  was  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society,  while  the  lower  floor  was 
occupied  by  the  "Farmers'  and 
Mechanics'  Bank,"  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  in  1865.  The  Freedman's 
Bank  became  its  successor.  That 
flourished  for  a  day,  tlien  failed, 
sinking  many  a  hard-earned  dollar 
deposited  by  the  negroes  of  the  city. 
Various  have  been  the  businesses 
represented  within  the  building.  To- 
day it  is  a  bar-room. 

The  present  home  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  its  library  swelled  to 
twelve  thousand  volumes,  is  Hodgson  Hall,  fronting  Forsyth  park,  on  the  corner 
of  Whitaker  and  Gaston  streets.  This  structure  originated  from  the  desire  of  the 
late  Mrs.  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson  to  erect  a  memorial  to  her  huskind,  the  late 
William  B.  Hodgson,  for  many  years  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Georgia  His- 
torical Society.  Begun  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Hodgson,  the  work  was  con- 
tinued under  the  supervision  of  her  sister,  Miss  Mary  Telfair.  By  a  singular 
coincidence,  both  of  these  venerable  ladies  die^  during  the  construction  of  the  hall, 


160 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


which  was  completed  b}^  the  executors  of  their  estates.  Rather  remarkable  is  it, 
that  about  ten  days  before  her  death,  on  the  third  of  March,  1874,  Mrs.  Hodgson 
wrote  in  a  note  to  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Walden  of  a  contemplated  northward  trip, 
"These  warm  spring  days  admonish  me  that  I  am  a  bird  of  passage,  and  must  soon 
be  seeking  a  home  elsewhere." 

On  the  fourteenth  of  February',  1876,  the  thirt^'-seventh  anniversary  of  the 
society,  the  building  was  formally  dedicated.  The  unveiling  of  the  portrait  of  Mr. 
Hodgson,  painted  by  Mr.  Carl  N.  Brandt,  the  present  curator  of  Telfair  Academy, 
was  a  part  of  the  evening's  cei'emonies.  Such  a  memorial  was  a  fitting  monument  to 
one  of  Mr.  Hodgson's  tastes.  From  earliest  childhood,  books  had  been  his  com- 
panions, developing  within  him,  in  later  years,  the  passion  for  the  study  of  languages, 
more  pai'ticularly  Oriental  languages.  To  this  bent  may  be  ascribed  his  early  con- 
nection with  the  diplomatic  service  of  the  country,  as  Dragoman  to  the  Barbary  States. 
In  1842,  Mr.  Hodgson  retired  from  the  diplomatic  service  to  Savannah,  his  home. 
Naturally  of  a  shrinking  modesty,  that  characterized  an  organization  of  extreme 
delicacy,  his  attainments  in  Oriental  scholarship  were  little  known  in  Savannah, 
but  in  the  scholastic  circles  of  both  Europe  and  America  he  found  appreciation. 
The  dedication  by  Doctor  Mayo  of  his  work,  the  "  Berber,"  to  Mr.  Hodgson,  indi.- 
cates  the  firm  grasp  his  scholarship  had  made  upon  the  literary  world. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society  are  :  — 


President 

First  Vice-President 
Second  Vice-President  . 
Corresponding  Secretary 
Recording  Secretary 
Treasurer 
Librarian 


Henry  K.  Jackson. 
G.  MoxLEY  Sorrel. 
John  Screven. 
Robert  Falligant. 
Charles  N.  West., 
William  S.  Bogart.' 
William  Harden. 


Curators. 


Charles  H.  Olmstead, 
George  A.  Mercer, 
W.  D.  Harden, 


H.  S.  Haines, 

R.  J.  NUNN, 


J.  R.  F.  Tattnall, 


Walter  G.  Charlton. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


161 


In  the  "  Georgian  "  of  April  second,  1839,  occurred  the  account  of  the  dedi- 
catory ceremonies  of  the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  now  the  present  Catholic 
Library  Hall. 

This  Cluux'h  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the  Living  God,  according  to  the  ancient  form  of 
belief  of  the  Roman  Catholic  persuasion  was  solemnly  dedicated  yesterday,  by  the  Right-Reverend 
Bishop  England  assisted  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Barry,  the  Reverend  Mr.  O'Neill,  the  Reverend  M. 
Whelan,  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Duggan,  as  oflSciating  priests,  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Fielding  acting 
as  Deacon,  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Quigley  as  Sub-Deacon.  The  Church  was  dismantled  of  its  usual 
ornaments  before  the  ceremony  began.  The  Mitred  Bishop  appeared  in  his  pontifical  robes,  the 
holy  crozier  borne  by  an  Acolyte,  and  the  Reverend  Clergy  in  their  splendid  vestments.  The 
Bishop  and  his  Clergy  knelt  at  the  Altar  and  chanted  their  prayers  to  the  ]\Iost  High  calling  His 
blessing  on  the  Temple  erected  for  this  worship.  Their  fine  sonorous  voices  in  the  Latin  tongue 
resounded  with  great  effect  through  the  sacred  edifice.  When  the  prayers  were  over  the  Bishojj 
and  his  assistants  formed  a  procession  and  proceeded  through  the  Church,  carrying  the  divine  em- 
blem of  the  cross  before  them  and  sprinkling  its  walls  with  consecrated  water. 

This  part  of  the  ceremony  concluded,  the  Bishop  divested  himself  of  his  robes,  and  from  the 
altar  eloquently  exj^lained  every  particular  of  the  form  of  dedication.  He  cited  the  Holy  Scriptures 
throughout  and  dwelt  with  much  fervour  on  the  character  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  the  precursor  of 
the  Saviour  and  the  "  first  among  men." 

AVhen  the  Bishop  concluded  his  discourse,  the  candles  were  lighted,  the  ornaments  replaced, 
and  a  Gi'and  Mass  was  celebrated  by  the  Bishoj^  in  his  robes,  assisted  by  the  attendant  Clergy. 

When  the  service  was  over,  the  Bishop  assembled  the  lay  delegates  within  the  Sanctuary,  and 
held  a  convention  of  the  church,  after  which  the  further  business  of  the  convention  was  adjourned 
for  the  present. 

The  Church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  which  at  the  time  of  its  dedication  was  the 
largest  church  edifice  in  the  diocese,  was  made  a  necessity  by  the  increase  of  the 
congregation  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  Roman  Catholic  chapel,  which  stood  on 
Liberty  square,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Montgomery  streets.  There  the  first 
priest  to  officiate  was  a  Frenchman,  by  name  I'Abbe  de  Mercier.  His  successor  was 
of  the  same  nationality,  I'Abbe  Cavi.  The  Reverend  J.  F.  O'Neill,  who  assisted  at 
the  dedicatory  services  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  was  regarded  as  a  Nestor "  in 
the  Church. 

The  Cathedral  was  built  on  land  purchased  from  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  at  a  cost 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  stands  a  living  monument  to  the  taith 
in  Savannah,  and  it  is  regarded  as  the  handsomest  Roman  Catholic  edifice  south 
of  Washington.  St.  Patrick's,  formerly  an  old  cotton  warehouse,  was  built  by  the 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  Ferot ;  afterwards  it  was  torn  down  and  rebuilt  by  Bishop 


162 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Gross,  at  a  cost  of  sixty  thousand  dollars.  There  are  now  three  parishes  within  the 
city,  —  the  Cathedral,  St.  Patrick's,  and  the  Sacred  Heart, —  with  a  membership  in  all 
of  about  five  thousand  five  hundred.  The  Cathedral  is  in  charge  of  the  Reverend 
Edward  Cafterty,  V.G. 

The  Reverend  L.  Bazin  is  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's.  The  Sacred  Heart  Church, 
in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  city,  is  under  the  care  of  the  Benedictine  Fathers, 
the  Reverend  Father  William  Meyer,  O.S.B.,  being  the  pastor.  In  addition, 
there  is  St.  Benedict's  Chapel  for  colored  Roman  Catholics  ;  the  Reverend  Father 


Melchior  Reichert,  O.S.B., 

A  new  residence  for 
in  the  rear  of  the 
completed  about 
ary, 1889.  The 
will  also  be  fin- 
early  date. 

The  diocese 
established  in 
prises  the  en- 
Georgia.  The 
end  Thomas  A. 
bishop  in  charge. 
Reverend  Edward 
General. 

In  1839,  Savannah 
street,  so  named  in  com- 
of  Captain  Joseph  Jones,  of 


is  the  pastor  in  charge, 
the  bishop   is  building 
Cathedral.   It  will  be 
the;  first  of  Janu- 
Cathedral  towers 
ished    at  an 

of  Savannah, 
1853,  com- 
tire  State  of 
Right  Rever- 
Becker  is  the 
with    the  Very 
Cafterty,  Vicar 


INTERIOR    OF  THE  CATHEDRAL. 


was  extended  to  Jones 
pliment  to  the  brave  father 
Liberty  County,  who  fell 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  street  while  fighting  for  the  liberties  of  his  country. 
Charlton  street  was  named  in  honor  of  the  late  Honorable  T.  U.  P.  Charlton,  whose 
services  as  mayor,  in  1820,  were  thus  commemorated  by  the  grateful  citizens  of  that 
day.  Macon  street  was  named  for  the  flourishing  junior  sister  city  in  the  interior  of 
the  State.  Madison  and  Pulaski  squares,  added  at  this  time,  derived  their  names  from 
heroes  dear  to  American  hearts.  The  city  was  well  lighted  in  1839,  for,  according 
to  an  old  ordinance,  public  lamps  were  placed  in  the  following  manner  :  two  at 
the  City  Exchange,  four  at  the  market,  one  at  each  of  the  public  pumps,  two  at  the 
Court  House,  one  at  each  of  the  public  docks,  two  at  the  guard-house,  and  one  at 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


163 


each  engine-house.  Whenever  a  new  pump  was  erected,  or  a  new  dock  opened,  or 
a  new  engine-house  built,  lamps  were  to  be  placed  upon  them.  This  law  remained  in 
force  until  1850.  The  night-watch  kept  a  good  vigilant  guard  over  the  city.  Officers 
and  privates  were  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the  city  with  a  rattle,  used  for  com- 
municating with  each  other,  or  of  giving  alarm,  except  in  case  of  fire,  when  the 
alarm  was  given  by  the  discharge  of  a  musket.  All  parts  of  the  city  were  equally 
guarded,  and  a  watchman  was  stationed  in  the  steeple  of  the  Exchange,  furnished 
with  a  "good  and  sufficient  lanthorn."  He  gave  the  alarm  to  the  citizens  by 
ringing  the  Exchange  bell,  and  by  hanging  the  "lanthorn"  in  the  direction 
from  whence  the  alarm  seemed  to  proceed.  A  sentinel  was  always,  during  guard 
hours,  stationed  at  the  guard-house  door;  his  duty  it  was  to  communicate  the 
alarm. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  December,  1845,  St.  John's  Church  was  begun  on  the 
south  side  of  South  Broad  street,  west  of  Barnard  street.  St.  John's  and  the 
episcopate  of  Georgia  had  a  contemporaneous  origin,  for  the  church  was  consecrated 
five  weeks  after  the  consecration  of  the  first  Bishop  of  Georgia,  Reverend  Stephen 
Elliott,  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  February,  1841.  The  first  bishop  of  the  dio- 
cese became  the  first  rector  of  the  church.  Indeed,  the  cluirch  was  organized  as  an 
off"ering  to  the  bishop-to-be,  that  the  two  salaries  of  recto i'  and  bishop  might  consti- 
tute a  sufficient  episcopal  income. 

The  honor  must  be  given  to  Christ  Church  for  this  measure,  which  gave  to  the 
city  a  new  parish,  and  to  the  diocese  a  bishopric. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  St.  John's,  a  Gothic  structure  fronting  upon  Mad- 
ison square,  was  laid  in  March,  1852.  The  church  was  opened  for  service  on  the 
thirteenth  of  March,  1853.  At  the  outset  of  the  war  St.  John's  parish  was  active  in 
benevolent  measures. 

In  December  of  1861,  St.  John's  Aid  Society  was  organized  ;  and  St.  John's  Hos- 
pital, opened  on  the  fifth  day  of  January,  1862,  was  the  first  in  the  city  to  receive 
the  sick  and  wounded.  It  was  located  on  the  corner  of  Liberty  and  Jefferson 
streets . 

In  the  spring  of  1878,  the  Reverend  Charles  H.  Strong  received  a  call  to  St. 
John's  church.  The  first  ten  years  of  his  pastorate  are  just  ended,  and  the  church  has 
entered  upon  an  era  of  prosperity  never  before  known  in  its  history.  There  are  four 
hundred  and  fifty-six  families  in  the  congregation,  numbering  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-four  individuals,  .with  the  names  of  five  hundred  and  fifty 


164 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


communicants  upon  the  roll.  St.  John's  constitutes  the  largest  Episcopal  parish 
in  the  State,  and  one  of  the  three  largest  in  the  South. 

The  Episcopal  Orphans'  Home  was  founded  by  Bishop  Stephen  Elliott  in  1844, 
aided  financially^  by  the  late  Judge  Robert  M.  Charlton.  When  the  Home  grew 
into  sufficient  proportions  to  need  a  larger  financial  support,  funds 
were  subscribed  by  the  members  of  both  Christ  Church  and  St. 
John's,  and  the  Home  was  managed  on  equal  terms  by  members 
of  both  of  these  parishes,  and  was  ministered  to  by  the  rectors  of 
both  churches  until  a  recent  date. 

The  Home  has,  during  the  past  year,  taken  possession 
of  the  beautiful  and  commodious  building  on  Liberty  street. 
There  are  at  present  twenty-two  orphan  inmates  of  the 
Home.  Eight  more  could  be  accommodated,  were  there 
means  of  support.  The  capacity  of  the  building  when  com- 
pleted will  afford  accommodation  for  fifty  or  sixty  orphans. 

The  present  Board  of  Managers  are  :  — 

Mrs.  J.  D.  Weed,  First  Directress. 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Daniel,  Second  Directress. 


ST.    JOHN'S  CHURCH. 


Mrs.  L.  M.  Warfield, 

Treasurer. 

Miss  M.  A.  Owens, 

Secretary. 

Miss  G.  B.  Screven. 
Miss  Cosens. 
Mrs.  D.  B.  Hull. 
Mrs.  H.  M.  C.  Smith. 
Mrs.  Walter  Charlton. 
Mrs.  John  Bryan. 
Mrs.  Thomas  Boone.  ^ 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Green. 
Mrs.  C.  L.  Jones. 
Mrs.  H.  D.  Stevens. 
Mrs.  a.  R.  Lawton,  Jr. 


HISTORIC  AND   PIC'^UEESQUE  SAVANNAH 


165 


In  one  of  the  papers  of  the  thirteenth  of  August,  1842,  the  followhio^  extract 
bears  testimony  to  the  elaborate  memorial  ceremonies  in  Savannah  in  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  tlie  Duke  of  Orleans  :  — 


The  Annals  of  our  City  do  not  (;xhibit  the  record  of  i^roceedings  on  any  publie  occasion  more 
honorable  to  our  National  character,  or  more  gratifyino^  to  the  natives  of  any  other  country,  who 
have  made  their  home  in  our  favored  land,  than  was  exhibited  by  our  citizens  on  Saturday,  for  the 
purpose  of  honoring  the  memory  of  the  lamented  and  illustrious  Duke  of  Orleans  (late  Heir  Ap- 
parent to  the  throne  of  France).  A  vast  concourse  of  citizens  assembled  at  an  early  hour,  and 
at  ten  o'clock,  the  splendid  in'ocession  was  formed  at  the  Exchange,  consisting  of  our  noble 
Volunteer  Companies,  Benevolent  Societies,  Scientific  and  Literary  Associations,  OflRcers  of  the 
United  States  Army 
and  Navy,  the  Hon- 
oraljle  Mayor  and 
Aldermen,  Revolu- 
tionary Soldiers,  Dis- 
tinguished Strangers, 
et  cetera.  Few  cities 
can  boast  of  finer 
Military  Companies 
than  ours,  and  when 
they  were  arranged 
in  phalanx,  with  all 
their  gorgeous  ban- 
ners, waving  plumes 
and  g  1  i  1 1  e  r  i  n  o- 
armour,  we  felt  the 
glow  of  conscious 
pride  pervading  us, 

as  we  associated  the  remembrance  of  hard  fought  fields  in  by-gone  days,  with  the  presence 
of  those  brave  citizen  soldiers,  on  whose  martial  bearing  we  rested  with  complacency,  and  in 
whose  keeping  we  cheerfully  place  the  future  fortunes  of  our  now  happy  country  —  fearless  of 
consequences  and  confident  of  victory,  and  were  it  not  for  the  serious  deportment  and  emblems 
of  mourning,  that  told  so  truly  the  sad  cause  of  such  an  assemblage,  we  would  have  fancied  it  the 
celebration  of  some  gala  day.  But  alas,  for  human  hopes  and  human  happiness,  'twas  but  an 
evidence  of  the  dignified  sympathy,  deservedly  yielded  by  our  chivalrous  nation  to  another  in 
her  hour  of  unexpected  tribulation.  The  procession  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Blois,  Falligant 
and  Delanoy  moved  to  the  church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  whei-e  the  solemn  and  august  ceremonies 
for  the  dead,  according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  were  performed  and  a 
corresponding  discourse  by  the  Reverend  J.  F.  O'Xeill,  after  which  an  ode  composed  for  the  occa- 
sion by  Mr.  T.  D.  Rice,  was  sung  by  the  choir,  who  were  courteously  assisted  by  those  dis- 


INTERIOR    OF  ST.  JOHN'S. 


166 


niSTORIV  AND 


FIGTUEESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


tinguished  vocalists,  Mrs.  Fletcher  and  Mr.  Nutting.  A  eulogy  (in  the  French  language)  illustrative 
of  the  noble  career  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  was  pronounced  by  F.  Dure,  Esq.  —  and  the  funeral 
ceremonies  were  closed  by  Reverend  Mr.  O'Neill. 

Three  years  later,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  the  city  observed  a  day  of  mourning 
for  Andrew  Jackson,  the  late  President  of  the  United  .States.  From  the  papers  of 
the  day  we  extract  the  following  :  — 

TESTIMONY  OF  RESPECT  AND  VENERATION  FOR  ANDREW  JACKSON. 

The  Committee  appointed  by  the  Citizens  of  Savannah  to  make  arrangements  for  the  Com- 
memoration of  the  life,  services  and  character  of  Andrew  Jackson,  announce  that  a  eulogy  on  the 
illustrious  dead  will  be  pronounced  on  Friday,  the  fourth  of  July  next,  at  the  Independent  Presby- 
terian Church,  by  Matthew  McAllister,  Esq. 

That  Friday  next  the  fourth  of  July  be  solemnized  as  a  day  of  public  mourning  on  which  the 
banks,  stores,  shops,  offices  etc.  shall  l)e  clcjsed,  and  the  Citizens  shall  abstain  from  their  usual 
employments.  That  vessels  in  jJort  and  jjuljlic  houses  display  their  flags  at  half  mast  throughout  the 
day,  bells  of  the  ditterent  churches,  the  Exchange  and  Academy  be  slowly  tolled  from  five  to  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  dui'ing  the  forming  and  moving  of  the  procession,  and  from  six  to  seven 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  That  seventj'-eight  minute  guns,  corresponding  with  the  age  of  the 
deceased  patriot,  be  fired  in  the  morning,  beginning  at  sunrise,  and  the  same  number  in  the  after- 
noon, beginning  seventy-eight  minutes  before  sunset.  That  minute  guns  be  fii'ed  from  the  Revenue 
Cutter  Crawford,  Captain  Fatio,  from  the  time  the  procession  shall  move,  until  the  services  in  the 
churches  shall  have  begun.  That  a  national  salute  be  fired  at  Oglethorj^e  Barracks  by  the  United 
States'  Artillery  under  the  command  of  Major  Wade,  immediately  after  the  procession  shall  have 
been  dismissed.  That  the  Reverend  Clergy ;  the  Magistracy  and  other  officers  of  the  United  States 
the  State  and  the  City  and  Consuls,  and  other  foreign  Officers,  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Union  Society,  and  all  other  oi'ganized  Societies :  Teachers 
and  their  respective  Pupils,  the  United  States  Troops,  the  several  Volunteer  Corps  of  this  City,  the 
Officers  of  the  Army,  Navy,  and  Revenue  Marine  and  Militia  Soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  Pilots, 
Masters  of  Vessels,  their  officers  and  Crews,  and  the  Citizens  generally,  join,  and  they  are  earnestly 
invited  to  join  in  the  Procession.  A  procession  will  be  formed  at  ten  o'clock  on  that  day  at  the 
Exchange,  under  the  direction  of  Francis  M.  Stone,  Esq.,  Chief  Marshal,  with  the  aid  of  Six  Assistant 
Marshals.  The  United  States  Troops,  and  Volunteer  Companies  of  the  City  of  Savannah,  will  con- 
stitute the  escort,  commanded  by  Colonel  White  ;  The  order  will  be  as  follows :  The  Escort,  Chief 
Marshal,  Standard  of  the  United  States,  The  Orator  and  Committee  of  Arrangements,  the  Reverend 
Clergy,  Judges  and  Officers  of  the  Superior  Court,  Justices  and  Officers  of  the  Inferior  Court  and 
Court  of  Ordinary,  Judge  and  Officers  of  the  Couit  of  Common  Pleas  and  Oyer  and  Terminer.  The 
Mayor  and  Aldermen,  and  all  officers  deriving  their  appointments  from  the  City.  Justices  of  the 
Peace.    Foreign  Consuls  and  Officers.   The  Collector  and  other  officers  of  the  Customs,  Officei's  and 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


167 


Soldiers  of  the  Revolution.  Officers  of  the  Revenue  Marine.  Officers  of  the  Militia.  The  Union 
Society.  The  Medical  Society.  The  Library  Society.  The  Hibernian  Society.  The  St.  Andrew's 
Society.  The  German  Friendly  Society.  The  Geoi'gia  Historical  Society.  The  Catholic  Temper- 
ance Society.  The  Mechanic's  Temperance  Society.  The  Agricultural  Societ}'.  Georgia  Chapter 
No.  3  and  Masonic  Lodges  of  Savannah.  The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The 
United  Ancient  Order  of  Druids.  Teachers  of  Public  Schools  and  their  Pupils.  Teachers 
of  Sabbath  Schools  and  their  •  Pupils.  The  Pilot  of  the  Port  of  Savannah.  Captains  and 
Officers  of  Vessels  and  Marines.  (The  last  in  blue  Jackets  and  white  trowsers)  in  a  dress 
corresponding  as  readily  therewith  as  circumstances  will  admit,  headed  by  the  Harbor 
Master.  Citizens,  Teachers  and  their  Pupils  will  assemble  in  Johnston's  Square  and  join  the 
procession  when  moving,  at  the  intersection  of  St.  Julian  and  Drayton  streets.  The  procession 
will  march  down  the  Bay  to  Drayton  street,  up  Drayton  street  to  South  Broad,  and  up  South  Broad. 
It  is  I'espectfully  recommended  that  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  Civil  Officers  and  Citizens  appear  in  black 
or  dark-colored  suits;  that  the  Staves  of  the  Marshals,  Sheriff  and  attending  officers,  be  surmounted 
with  black  ribbons,  the  banners  of  tlie  Military  and  Societies  be  mourned ;  tliat  all  who  unite  in  the 
procession  be  distinguished  by  some  appropriate  badge  of  mourning,  and  that  the  ladies  and  female 
children  who  may  attend  the  delivery  of  the  Eulogium,  wear  wliite  dresses  vvitli  black  ribbons,  or 
black  dresses. 

RICHARD  AVAYNE,  Com. 
R.  T.  GUERARD,  Secretary. 

During  the  fall  of  1843  the  Lutherans  in  Savannah  dedicated  a  new  brick  edi- 
fice, the  present  structure,  upon  the  site  of  the  first  Lutheran  Church  in  Savannah. 
This  was  the  third  building  upon  the  site,  its  immediate  predecessor  having  been 
a  quaint  gable-roofed  wooden  church,  erected  before  the  Revolution.  Here 
did  Francis  Asbury,  the  first  Methodist  bishop  of  America,  promulgate  the  doc- 
trines of  Wesley,  in  the  early  years  of  this  century,  before  the  Methodists  had  a 
church  organization  in  Savannah. 

The  present  pastor  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  the  Ascension  is 
W.  S.  Bowman,  D.D.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  has  become  imbued  with 
new  life,  and  has  had  a  marked  increase  of  members. 

Another  society  was  added  to  the  many  benevolent  institutions  in  Savannah  by 
the  organization,  on  the  twenty-first  of  November,  1843,  of  the  Savannah  Port 
Society,  for  the  purpose  of  "  furnishing  seamen  with  regular  evangelical  min- 
istration of  the  Gospel,  and  such  other  religious  instruction  as  may  be  found 
practicable."  This  society  from  its  foundation  has  been  near  to  the  hearts  of 
Savannahians,  and  has  ever  found  a  warm  support  from  the  community  at  large, 


168 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


enrolling  among  its  members  the  representative  men  of  Savannah,  from  its  oi'gani- 
zation  to  the  present  time. 

The  present  officers  are :  — 


R.  B.  Reppard 
J.  I.  Stoddard  ^ 
J.  D.  Weed  S 
J.  W.  Burroughs  . 
Reverend  J.  S.  Gilmore, 

W.   S.  BOGAKT 


President. 
Vice -Preni  dents. 

Recording  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
OhapJain. 

Corresponding  Secretary. 


Board  of  Managers. 


S.  P.  Hamilton, 
David  Wells, 
J.  M.  Barnard, 
R.  B.  Reppard, 


J.  G.  Wheaton, 
J.  I.  Stoddard, 
J.  C.  Rowland, 
J.  D.  Weed. 


In  March  of  1844,  Henry  Clay,  the  "  Old  Prince,  '"  so  called  hy  his  Whig 
friends,  visited  Savannah,  during  an  extended  tour  through  the  cities  of  the  South 
_  and  the  South-west.    He  was  a  guest  of  the  Honorable  J.  M. 

//.  Berrien,  whose  home,  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Broughton 

and  Habersham  streets,  still  stands,  though  much  altered. 
Then  the  house  consisted  of  two  stories  on  a  brick  foundation, 
with  an  attic  roof  overlooking  in  an  adjoining  lot  (now  built 
up)  a  beautiful  garden.  Here  was  entertained  that  statesman  who  wrote  of  him- 
self: "If  any  one  desires  to  know  the  leading  and  paramount  object  of  my  life, 
the  preservation  of  this  Union  will  furnish  liim  the  key." 

In  1845,  that  part  of  the  city  on  the  south-east  corner  of  Liberty  and  Floyd 
streets  was  ornamented  by  the  completion  of  the  building  of  the  "Institution  of  the 
Sisters  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy,"  familiarly  known  as  the  Convent  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul.  The  structure  reflected  great  honor  upon  its  ar(!hitect,  and  an  elaborate 
description  of  it  was  given  in  the  "  Georgian"  of  June  twenty-tirst,  1845.'  The 
land  was  granted  in  1842  by  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  Savannah  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  their  successors,  on  which  to  erect  a  fire -proof 
residence  within  thi'ee  years,  for  the  sisterhood  to  carry  out  the  humane  provisions 


HISTORIC  AND   FiL'TUliESQUE  SAVANNAH 


1G9 


of  the  institution.  These  were,  gratuitous  instruction  of  poor  children,  the  support 
of  female  orphans,  and  attendance  upon  the  sick. 

At  the  present  time  Mother  Aloysius  is  the  superior  of  the  convent,  where  both 
day  and  boarding  pupils  are  received.  There  was  an  attendance  last  year  of  thirty 
boarders  and  one  hundred  day  scholars.  Another  Roman  Catholic  charity  in  charge 
of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  is  the  St.  Mary's  Home  for  Orphan  Girls,  Sister  M.  Patrick 
being  the  superior.  This  institution  depends  for  support  upon  the  voluntary  contri- 
butions of  the  charitably  inclined.  At  present  there  are  forty-tive  children  in  the 
institution. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  old  Chatham  County  Jail,  recently  torn  down,  was 
laid  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  March,  1846.  Within  a  cavity  of  the  stone  was  placed  a 
tin  box  containing  several  specimens  of  the  Federal  currency,  copies  of  the 
Georgia  "  Republican,"  Savannah  "Georgian,"  and  a  parchment  on  which  was 
written  the  following,  viz.  :  — 

The  corner-stone  of  this  jail,  erected  by  the  County  of  Chatham,  State  of  Georgia,  was  laid 
on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  March,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1845,  and  the  seventieth  year  of  the 


170 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  tlie  presence  of  their  Honors,  Anthony  Porter, 
Francis  Sorrel,  William  Thomas  Williams,  Elias  Reed,  Robert  M.  Goodwin,  Justices  of  the  Inferior 
Court  of  the  County,  and  Benjamin  Gardner,  Architect  and  Superintendent,  R.  W.  Porter,  Clerk  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  Jas.  K.  Polk ;  Vice-President,  Geo.  M.  Dallas,  Governor  of 
Georgia,  George  AV.  Crawford,  the  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Savannah. 

This  building,  completed  and  ready  for  occupancy  on  the  nineteenth  of  August, 
1846,  deserves  special  mention  from  its  picturesque  features,  unequalled  by  any 
other  building  in  Savannah.  The  yellow  brick  walls,  relieved  at  the  corners  by 
quaint  turrets,  had  an  Old- World  air,  remarked  by  many  of  foreign  birth.  When  a 
glimpse  was  caught  of  a  turret  or  a  portion  of  the  wall  through  the  broken  lights  of 
trees  in  the  dim  twilight,  no  effort  of  the  imagination  was  needed  to  recall  distant 
castles  and  embattled  walls. 

In  the  year  1846  hostilities  l)egan  })etween  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  A 
call  was  made  upon  Georgia  for  a  regiment  of  soldiers  to  be  sent  to  the  seat  of  war. 
All  of  the  infantry  volunteer  companies  in  the  city  offered  their  services  to  the  State 
to  make  up  a  regiment.  Only  one  company  could  be  taken,  however,  and  it 
was  decided  by  lot  which  that  should  l)e. 

The  lot  fell  on  the  Irish  Jas})er  Greens,  the  youngest  but  one  of  the  many  mili- 
tary organizations  in  the  o\ty. 

The  regiment  was  promptlj^  raised  and  sent  off  under  Colonel  Henry  R.  Jack- 
son. Many  were  the  encomiums  gained  by  the  Georgia  boys  and  their  gallant 
colonel  during  those  days  of  brilliant  victories  to  American  arms  on  the  distant 
plains  of  Mexico.  There  General  Taylor,  "  Old  Rough  and  Ready,  "  won  not  only 
battles,  but  the  hearts  of  the  American  people,  for  the  year  following  the 
declaration  of  peace,  by  one  demonstration  of  popular  applause,  he  was  carried 
into  the  presidential  chair.  And  the  dashing  young  colonel  of  the  Irish  Jasper 
Greens?  Now  in  the  autumn  of  his  years,  he  dwells  in  our  midst,  a  hoary 
veteran,  yet  with  military  tire  unquenched,  the  sword  discarded  only  for  the  subtler 
weapon,  the  pen. 


i^..^^^  '^^'-t^  .^-(^^i^  ^r;/ . 


t>^^  y^^i-Z^^  /^j/^^l^  ^^^^  ^^"'^  ^^^^ 

^  ^^^^^  ^^L^^Cy/^^!^  ^^.^^ 


y^€'^^  ti^^^ //z-c.^<ir^  a^^^  ^ ^i-jU^^e—- 


(171) 


^^^/C^aZ/Tn^ii^a^:^ ^^<^'^  ^'^'i-^^ 
<L,^'7-t/i^  ./J^t^^V'   ^^^^  fie.,t^ ^'^Ce^c^ 


/ 


^~/^^y  ^^^^ 


(172) 


CHAPTER  X. 


N  1847,  Bonaventure,  the  beautiful  seat  of  the  Tattnall  family,  passed  by  pur- 


-L  chase  into  the  possession  of  Captain  Peter  Wiltberger,  who  had  long  cher- 
ished the  wish  to  convert  the  solemn  shade  of  its  groves  to  the  sacred  uses  of  a 
cemetery.  By  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  December,  1847,  the  Evergreen  Cemetery  Company  of  Bonaventure 
became  an  incori)oration,  which,  however,  remained  inactive  till  1869.  Around 
no  other  spot  near  Savannah  cluster  such  varied  associations.  It  was  at  first 
settled  about  the  year  1760,  l)y  John  Muh-yne,  an  Englishman,  who  removed 
from  Charleston  to  Savannah.  The  high  ground,  witli  an  extended  river  view, 
gave  ample  scope  for  the  indulgence  of  one's  fancies  in  gardening.  It  soon 
constituted  one  of  the  choicest  sites  near  Savannah.  The  first  house,  built  of 
bricks,  brought  for  the  purpose  from  England,  faced  the  centre  walk  of  the  garden, 
which  extended  in  terraces  from  the  plateau  to  the  river,  the  terraces  being 
supported  by  blocks  of  "  tabby,"  a  concrete  of  shell  !ind  lime,  remains  of  which 
are  yet  to  be  seen.  The  estate  came  into  possession  of  the  Tattnall  family  in 
1761,  by  the  marriage  of  Josiah  Tattnall,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to 
Mary,  the  only  child  of  John  Mulryne.  A  charming  bit  of  romance  was  im- 
planted u})on  the  estate  by  this  union,  for  tradition  claims  that  the  avenues  of 
magnificent  trees,  which  have  ever  formed  the  chief  beauty  of  Bonaventure,  were 
planted  about  this  time,  in  the  forms  of  the  letters  M.  and  T.,  the  initials  of  the 
families  of  Mulryne  and  Tattnall.  The  majority  of  trees  were  of  the  live-oak 
species,  intermingled  with  less  hardy  trees,  which  long  ago  were  laid  low  by  the 
hand  of  Time  and  the  gales  of  the  Atlantic,  whilst  the  sturdy  Uve-oaks,  with 
hoary  braids  of  moss,  defy  the  blast,  though  they,  tcio,  have  suffered  from  the 
fierce  winds  let  loose  upon  Savannah  during  the  past  twenty  years.  To  any  one 
in  search  of  the  novel  let  him  visit  Bonaventure,  and  spend  an  idle,  but  enjoyable, 
hour  in  wandering  through  the  various  avenues,  endeavoring  to  trace  the 
intricacies  of  that  most  unique  of  monograms.    The  first  house  was  destroyed 


(  173  J 


174 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


by  fire  during  the  last  century.  It  was  the  occasion  of  a  scene  of  dramatic 
effect.  Fire  broke  out  on  the  roof  while  a  number  of  guests  had  assembled 
with  their  host  in  the  dining-room  to  partake  of  a  dinner.  Reader,  do  you 
picture  a  scene  of  consternation,  of  confused  rush  hither  and  thither,  to  escape 
the  doomed  house  ?  Not  so.  The  stately  host,  stifling  his  personal  feelings  before 
the  inevitable,  with  the  grace  of  a  Chesterfield  invited  his  guests  to  follow 
him  to  the  garden,  where  the  servants  had  preceded  with  ■  the  dining-table. 
There,  in  the  glow  of  the  burning  house,  the  dinner  was  eaten.  Fancy  the  scene. 
The  lurid  sweep  of  the  flames,  unchecked  by  an  opposing  element,  their  ferocity 
fed  by  increasing  material  until  all  within  reach  was  reduced  to  ashes  or 
shapeless  ruins,  and  there,  within  a  stone's-throw,  around  the  bountiful  table  sat, 
the  host  with  his  subdued  guests,  for  it  is  not  in  human  nature  to  sup- 
pose them  all  heroic,  the  host,  with  many  a  jest  and  sparkling  word,  diverting 
their  attention  from  the  blazing  fire  which  engulfed  his  home.  Verily,  of  such  stuff 
are  heroe^^  made,  and  so  pi'oved  the  Tattnalls.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  Josiah  Tattnall  with  his  two  sons,  John  and  Josiah,  sought  a  home 
in  England,  maintaining  allegiance  to  the  English  crown  ;  he  declined,  however,  a 
commission  in  the  Royal  army.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  the  family 
estates  in  Georgia  were  confiscated.  Because  of  this  declination  to  bear  arms 
in  defence  of  his  State,  his  property  was  condemned  by  pul)lic  act,  and  Josiah 
Tattnall  and  John  Mulryne  were  declared  banished  from  the  State  forever. 

"  By  a  remarkable  revolution  of  the  political  wheel  eighty-four  years  after,  the 
personal  property  of  Commodore  Tattnall,  the  grandson  of  Josiah  Tattnall,  was  con- 
fiscated by  the  Federal  Government,  because  he  refused  to  remain  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  and  take  up  arms  against  the  State  of  Georgia.  It  is  a  curious 
fact,  that  included  in  the  property  thus  confiscated  by  the  Federal  authorities  were 
some  articles  which  had  been  condemned  and  appropriated  by  Georgia  in  1782,  as 
property  of  the  Commodore's  grandfather,  but  which  upon  open  sale  had  been  pur- 
chased by  his  friends,  and  restored  to  the  family  after  the  Revolution."  ^ 

Before  the  end  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  Josiah,  Junior,  then  eighteen 
years  old,  the  younger  of  the  two  sons,  requested  permission  to  return  to  Geofgia 
and  espouse  the  cause  of  the  colonies.  Refused,  the  love  of  his  native  soil  (for  he 
was  born  at  Bona  venture)  outweighed  his  respect  for  parental  authority ;  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Georgia,  and  joined  the  army  of  General  Greene,  whom  he 


'  Life  of  Commodore  Tattnall.    C  C.  Jones. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


175 


followed  to  the  close  of  the  war.  In  appreciation  of  the  devotion  and  services  of 
this  member  of  the  family,  Georgia  restored  a  portion  of  the  confiscated  estates  of 
Tattnall,  including  his  birthplace,  Bonaventure.  For  eighteen  years  Josiali  Tattnall 
gave  a  loyal  service  to  his  native  State,  Georgians  delighting  to  bestow  upon  him 
every  honor,  civil  or  military,  —  the  third  Captain  of  the  Chatham  Artillery,  Colonel 
of  the  First  Georgia  Regiment,  Brigadier-General  of  the  First  Brigade  of  Georgia 
Militia,  a  member  of  the  Legislature  on  several  occasions,  a  member  of  Congress, 


BONAVENTURE. 

finally,  the  position  of  Governor  of  the  State  crowned  the  life  young  in  years,  but 
full  inglorious  achievement.  At  the  age  of  thirty-six,  in  1804,  he  died  in  the  West 
Indies.  His  last  request,  that  his  body  be  carried  to  rest  in  the  soil  of  his  beloved 
Georgia,  was  observed :  beneath  the  solemn  shadows  of  the  live-oaks  which 
sheltered  his  boyhood's  play  he  sleeps,  with  two  illustrious  sons,  who  were  destined 
to  carry  the  renown  of  Tattnall  to  foreign  lands  and  waters.  The  second  house,  a 
frame  one,  built  in  Bonaventure  by  Governor  Tattnall,  was  also  destroyed  by  tire. 
This  stood  in  the  open  space,  in  rear  of  the  site  occupied  by  the  first  brick  house, 
and  its  location  is  marked  by  a  large  cedar-tree,  nourished  by  the  ashes  of  the 
burnt  hearth.    The  front  of  this  house  was  formerly  marked  by  two  old  and  large 


176 


HIS  TOM IC  AND 


FICTUltE^QUE 


SAVANNAH 


palmetto-trees.  Aside  from  the  Tattnall  family,  there  are  incidents  of  historic 
interest  inwoven  with  Bona  venture.  Here  the  royal  governor,  Sir  James  Wright, 
upon  his  escape  from  Savannali,  was  sheltered  by  his  staunch  friend,  Colonel 
Mulryne,  until  he  could  be  conveyed  on  l)oard  an  English  man-of-war  in  the  river. 
Here,  also,  the  French  fell  back,  after  their  unsuccessful  attack  on  Savannah,  to  re- 
embark  many  of  their  wounded,  burying  a  number  of  their  dead  in  Bonaventure. 

In  the  spring  of  1847,  that  distinguished  American  orator  and  jurist,  Daniel 
Wel)ster,  set  out  upon  a  visit  to  the  Southern  States,  receiving  marked  ovations  in 
Charleston,  Columbia,  Augusta,  and  Savannah. 

Accompanied  by  Mrs.  Webster  and  Miss  Seaton,  Daniel  Webster  arrived  in 
Savannah  on  Tuesday,  the  twenty-fifth  of  May.  A  public  reception  was  accorded 
him  on  the  twenty-sixth  in  Johnson  square,  at  the  base  of  the  Greene  monument. 
His  headquarters  were  at  the  Pulaski  House.  Two  public  dinners  were  given  him 
at  the  Pulaski  House,  —  the  one  on  Thursday,  by  the  citizens,  the  other  on  Friday, 
by  the  Bar  of  Savannah.  Mr.  Webster  and  his  party  left  for  Charleston  on  Friday 
night,  highly  gratified  with  their  reception  in  the  little  Southern  cit}'. 

At  the  citizens'  dinner,  Mr.  Webster,  in  alluding  to  the  purpose  of  his  visit  to 
see  Southern  culture  and  Southern  people,  said,  "I  have  frequently  been  asked  by 
Southern  gentlemen,  during  my  tour,  whether  I  won't  go  with  them  to  look  at  this 
rice  field,  or  that  cotton  field,  and  it  reminded  me  of  an  anecdote  told  by  my  friend 
Skinner,  of  the  '  Farmers'  Gazette,'  of  a  man  about  to  be  married  ;  when  asked  by 
the  parson  if  he  'would  have  this  woman  for  his  wedded  wife,'  he  replied,  'I  did 
not  come  for  anything  else.'  This  is  precisely  the  case  with  me,  'I  did  not  come 
for  anything  else.' " 

At  the  dinner  given  by  the  Bar,  the  Honorable  M.  Hall  McAllister  presided, 
assisted  by  the  Honorable  William  Law.  There  it  was  that  the  Honorable  R.  M. 
Charlton  gave  the  well-turned  toast  of  "  Law  and  Lawyers.  The  world  considers 
the  one  as  a  rank  soil,  where  the  others  sow  the  seeds  of  iniquity  and  strife,  that  they 
may  reap  the  harvest  of  crime  ;  but  the  Story  of  old  Massachusetts  tells  a  different 
tale  ;  for  her  legal  soil  has  produced  a  tree  of  virtue  and  of  learning,  which,  though  it 
be  now  time-honored,  still  liears  a  brilliant  Greenleaf,  and  her  legal  loom  has  woven 
a  Webster  of  whom  the  world  may  be  proud." 

Upon  rising  to  make  his  parting  address,  Daniel  Webster  said  that  he  hoped 
his  professional  brethren  would  not  think  him  disposed  to  engross  all  the  talking, 
or  that  he  was  as  forward  as  a  certain  Scotch  judge  of  whom  he  heard  when  in 


HISTORIC  AND   I'K^TURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


m 


Scotland.  It  seems  this  judge  was  fond  of  interrupting  counsel  in  their  arguments, 
and  of  anticipating  them,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  Bar.  "  It  is  perhaps  known 
to  you,"  said  Mr.  Webster,  "  that  the  captions  of  Scottisli  decrees  run  in  this  way  : 
'This  cause  came  on  to  be  tried,  et  cetera,  and 

the  counsel  botli  for  the  pursuer  and  defender,  C><^y  y^J^i-/^  ' 
having  been  fully  lieard,  the  lord  ordinary  doth 

proceed  to  discern,  decree,  and  adjudged  as  follows,  etc.,  etc'  A  waggish  lawyer 
proposed  that  the  form  of  this  preamble  should  be  altered,  as  follows  :  '  This  cause 
came  on  to  be  tried,  etc.,  and  the  lord  ordinary,  having  been  fully  heard,  both  for 
the  pursuer  and  the  defender,  doth  proceed  to  decree,  etc.,  etc'  " 

In  the  year  1848,  the  Methodists  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  erect  a  larger  church  in  the  more  central  part  of  the  cit}'.  The 
plan  and  specifications  of  the  new  building  were  furnished  by  John  B.  Hogg,  Esq., 
a  pupil  of  Mr.  Thomas  U.  Walker,  the  celebrated  architect  of  Girard  College,  in 
Philadelphia,  also  the  designer  and  builder  of  the  great  dome  of  the  Capitol  at 
.Washington. 

Begun  in  1848,  Trinity  Church  was  completed  and  dedicated  with  appropriate 
ceremonies  in  1850.  It  is  the  i)resent  large  and  commodious  edifice  located  on  the 
west  side  of  St.  James  square.  To-day  the  names  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  mem- 
bers are  upon  its  roll-hook,  by  some  hundreds  larger  than  that  of  any  other  church 
in  Savannah.  It  has  also  one  of  the  largest  congregations  in  the  city,  under  the 
charge  of  Reverend  E.  H.  McGehee.  On  the  seventh  of  September,  1847,  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  Armory  Building,  of  Chatham  Artillery,  was  laid  in  Wright  square, 
on  the  site  where  formerly  stood  the  "  Laboratory,"  a  wooden  l)uilding  used  by  the 
Chatham  Corps  as  a  place  for  military  practice.  The  new  armory  was  regarded  as 
a  great  ornament  to  the  city.  Its  quaint  appearance  will  be  well  remembered,  for 
it  is  within  recent  years  that  the  more  modern  but  less  picturesque  armory  has  been 
remodelled  upon  the  old  building.  That  same  ^^ear  Savannah  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  Colonel  James  S.  Mcintosh,  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Mexican 
War.  An  extract  from  a  paper  of  March  twentieth,  1848,  gives  an  account  of  the 
obsequies. 

THE  GALLANT  DEAD. 

Oiu"  fellow  citizens  genei'ally  on  Saturday  forsook  tiieir  usual  avocations  to  mingle  around  the 
bier  of  the  veteran  soldier,  the  gallant  leader  of  the  Third  Infantry,  and  acting  Brigadier-General  in 
more  than  one  well-ibught  battle  on  the  plains  of  Mexico.    The  ^lusic  of  the  Military,  at  an  early 


178 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


hour  of  the  forenoon,  summoned  the  Members  of  the  respective  Volunteer  Corps,  attached  to  the 
first  Regiment,  and  their  full  ranks  attested  the  admiration  of  the  Citizen  Soldier  for  the  character 
of  the  warrior  who  now  rested  from  his  labors. 

The  National  Banner  was  displayed  at  half-mast  at  the  Garrison  and  on  the  Chatham  Light 
Ai'tillery  Armoiy  —  and  all  the  shipping  in  Port  displayed  their  colors  also  at  half-mast.  The  follow- 
ing corps  formed  as  a  battalion  on  the  Bay.  The  Georgia  Hussars  —  Captain  Bailey.  The  Chatham 
Light  Artillery  —  Captain  Stephens.  The  Republican  Blues,  Captain  Anderson.  The  Savannah 
Volunteer  Guai'ds,  Captain  Richardson.  The  Irish  Jasper  Greens — Captain  M'Mahon.  The  Ger- 
man Volunteers,  Caj^tain  Stegin.    The  Phoenix  Riflemen,  Lieutenant  Polin. 

Under  the  command  of  Colonel  Knajjp  the  battalion  proceeded  to  the  residence  of  Major  Wm. 
J.  Mcintosh,  where  the  mortal  remains  of  his  gallant  bi'other  reposed.  The  veteran  lay  in  a  leaden 
coffin,  inclosed  in  one  of  Mahogany,  with  the  following  inscription:  Colonel  Jas.  S.  Mcintosh, 
Fifth  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry;  died  first  October,  1847,  of  wounds,  received'  in  the 
battle  of  El  Molino  del  Rey,  Mexico,  eighth  September,  1847.  The  American  flag  was  thrown  as  a 
pall  over  the  coflin,  and  the  sword  with  the  dress  of  the  deceased,  (pierced  by  eight  bullet  holes,) 
which  was  worn  by  him  at  the  fatal  battle  of  El  Molino  del  Rey,  rested  upon  the  coffin.  Reverend 
Rufus  White  of  St.  John's  Church,  assisted  by  Edward  Neufville  D.D.,  officiated  at  the  house,  and 
read  the  funeral  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Escort,  Clergy  —  Pall  Bearers,  W.  B.  Bullock, 
Judge,  J.  M.  Wayne,  Major  Wade,  U.  S.  A.,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Law,  Colonel  Williams,  Colonel  J. 
W.  Jackson,  Captain  Stephens,  Major  Talcott,  U.  S.  A.,  Family,  Colonel  John  G.  Park,  and  Major  M. 
D.  Huson,  the  Comiiiander  on  the  part  of  the  State  in  charge  of  the  body  from  Mexico  —  Officers  of 
the  Army  and  Navy,  Brigadier  General  White  and  Stafl',  Committee  from  the  Floyd  Rifles  and 
Macon  Volunteers  under  Captain  Conner;  Officers  of  the  First  Regiment —  Grand  Marshal  hot  on 
Duty  —  Mayor  and  Aldermen  —  Citizens. 

On  entering  the  old  Cemetery,  the  services  at  the  grave  were  performed  by  Reverend  Rufus 
White.  After  the  coffin  was  deposited  in  the  vault  which  contains  the  remains  of  General  Lachlan 
^Iclntosh,  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  three  volleys  were  fired  over  the  grave  of  the  warrior  by  the 
Rifles  and  ttie  four  Companies  of  Infantry.  The  battalion  then  returned  to  the  Bay,  and  the  Com- 
panies were  dismissed  to  their  respective  commands.  Thus  has  the  grave  closed  over  the  remains  of 
one  who  in  life  we  cherished  as  a  gallant  citizen,  ready  at  any  moment  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
Countiy. 

The  first  telegraphic  despatch  was  received  in  Savannah  on  Thursday,  the 
twenty-third  of  March,  1848,  dated  Charleston,  March  twenty-third,  1848.  It 
read  thus:  "Steamer  Northerner  arrived  at  New  York  —  Steamer  Raritan  burnt 
ofi'  Bedloe's  Island  —  passengers  saved — New  York  cotton  market  depressed  — 
sales  at  I  to  4^  decline  on  20th.  Yesterday's  sales  eight  hundred  bales  —  Extremes, 
6  to  7|." 

To  the  music  lovers  of  the  Savannah  public  the  year  1849  afforded  rare  treats ; 
besides  the  engagements  of  several  opera  troupes,  the  two  famous  pianists,  Maurice 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


179 


Strakosch  and  Henry  Herz,  each  appeared  for  one  night  in  Savannah.  It  was  of 
Strakosch  (whose  brilliant  execution  over  forty  years  ago  was  the  wonder  of  the 
hour,  from  St.  Petersburg  to  New  Orleans)  that  the  anecdote  is  told  :  "  My  young 
friend,"  said  the  composer  Rossini  to  Strakosch,  "you  play  magnificently,  but  you 
have  no  left  hand."  Strakosch,  surprised,  sat  down  and  executed  a  piece  of  marvel- 
lous difficulties  for  the  left  hand  alone.  "Mr.  Sti'akosch,"  said  the  composer,  "I 
must  repeat,  you  have  no  left  hand,  but  you  have  two  rights."  As  a  pianist, 
Strakosch  ranked  in  the  list  after  Liszt  and  Thalberg. 

The  first  ex-President  to  receive  the  hospitalities  of  the  city  of  Savannah  was 
James  K.  Polk,  welcomed  on  Saturday  night  of  March  tenth,  1849,  on  his  arrival  by 
boat  from  Charleston,  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  city,  together  with  a  com- 
mittee of  twenty-one  citizens.  The  Chatham  Light  Artillery,  stationed  at  the  ex- 
treme eastern  end  of  the  city,  on  the  bluff,  boomed  a  welcome  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  When  the  steamer  "  General  Clinch  "  was  sighted,  bearing  the  ex-Pres- 
ident, with  his  wife,  nieces,  and  the  Honorable  Robert  J.  Walker,  the  ex-Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  a  salute  was  given  by  the  battalion,  composed  of  the  Hussars,  Lieu- 
tenant Blois  ;  the  Blues,  Captain  Anderson  ;  the  Guards,  Captain  Richardson  ;  the 
Irish  Jasper  Greens,  Captain  Wylly  ;  the  German  Volunteers,  Captain  Stegin ;  and 
the  Phoenix  Riflemen,  Captain  Mills,  — all  of  them  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Knapp.  The  procession  then  proceeded  to  the  Pulaski  House,  the  ex-President's 
headquarters.  A  reception  was  held  at  Armory  Hall  for  the  citizens  in  general,  but 
owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour  Mr.  Polk  soon  retired.  The  next  day  the  city's 
guests  attended  service  at  the  Independent  Church  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  after- 
noon at  Christ  Church.  Monday  morning  found  the  Republican  Blues,  commanded 
by  Captain  Anderson,  escorting  Mr.  Polk  and  his  family  to  the  Central  Railroad 
depot,  from  whence  the  journey  was  continued  to  Macon.  Three  months  later  the 
city  was  in  mourning  for  the  deceased  ex-President  Polk.  In  August  of  the  following- 
year,  again  was  Savannah  called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of  the  head  of  the  nation, 
Zachary  Taylor.  From  a  paper  of  August  seventh,  1850,  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing :  — 

The  joint  Committee  of  Citizens,  and  of  the  Mayor  and  Aldermeti,  appointed  to  adopt  suitable 
measures  for  the  solemn  commemoration  of  the  death  of  General  Zachary  Taylor,  late  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  for  paying  tributes  of  respect  to  his  memory,  announce  the  following  as  the 
ceremonies  and  arrangements  for  the  occasion.  Francis  S.  Bartow  Esq.  will  deliver  a  Eulogy  on 
the  public  life  and  character  of  the  deceased,  on  Thursday  the  eighth  of  August,  at  the  New 


180 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Methodist  Church  in  St.  James  Square.  A  procession  will  be  formed  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  that  day,  on  Bay  street,  in  front  of  the  Exchange  under  the  direction  of  Wm.  W.  Gates  Esq.  as 
chief  Marshal  with  four  Assistants. 

The  Volunteer  Companies  of  the  city  will  constitute  the  escort,  under  the  direction  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  William  F.  Law,  and  will  be  formed  in  line,  the  I'ight  resting  on  Barnard  street, 
displaying  west.  The  Chatham  Artillery,  Lieutenant  Wilder,  will  fire  minute  guns  during  the 
march  of  the  jjrocession  to  the  number  of  sixty-six  the  age  of  the  deceased.  At  sunset,  they  will 
fire  a  national  salute.  The  colours  of  the  shipping  in  port,  and  at  all  public  places  will  be  hoisted  at 
half-mast  during  the  day.  The  bells  of  all  the  churches  will  be  tolled  during  the  march  of  the  pro- 
cession and  again  for  half-an-hour  at  sunset.  All  standards  and  banners  cai'ried  in  the  procession 
to  be  in  mourning.  The  Committee  request  that  all  the  Banks  and  Public  Offices  be  shut  during  the 
day,  and  that  the  citizens  close  their  places  of  business  from  ten  o'clock  until  the  termination  of  the 
ceremonies.    The  order  of  the  procession  will  be  as  follows :  — 

The  Escort  of  Volunteer  Comi^anies. 

Chief  iMarshal. 
The  Standard  of  the  United  States. 
The  Orator  and  Committee  of  Arrangements. 
The  Reverend  Clergy —  Teachers  of  Public  Schools. 
The  INIayor  and  Aldermen  and  their  Officers. 
Judges  and  Officers  of  the  Superior  Court. 
Justices  of  the  Inferior  Court  and  their  Officers. 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  Oyer  and  Terminer  and  Officers. 
Magistrates  and  Officers  of  the  City  and  County  —  Foreign  Consuls. 
Officers  of  the  United  States. 
Collector  and  Officers  of  the  Customs. 
Militaiy  and  Naval  Officers  of  the  United  States. 
Brigadier  General  of  the  First  Brigade  and  Staff. 
Major  of  Cavalry  and  Staff. 
Field  Staff  and  Company  Officers  First  Regiment. 
The  LTnion  Society.    The  Medical  Society.    The  Library  Society. 
The  Hibernian  Society.    The  St.  Andrew's  Society.    The  German  Friendly  Society. 
The  Georgia  Historical  Society.    The  Irish  Union  Society.    Temperance  Societies. 

All  the  Societies  not  specified  — The  AVorshipful  Deputy,  Grand  Master  and  Masonic  Lodges 
of  Savannah.  The  several  Lodges  of  the  Indei^endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Captains  and 
Officers  of  Vessels  in  Port.  Mariners  in  uniform  dress.  Citizens.  The  Oglethorpe  and  Washington 
Fire  Companies  will  form  the  rear  of  the  Procession.  The  various  Societies,  Associations,  Public 
Bodies,  Officers  and  all  others  named,  arid  the  Citizens,  generally,  are  requested  to  consider  this  as 
the  invitation  of  the  Committee  to  unite  in  the  procession  without  further  notice.  Route  of  the 
Procession  —  Down  Bay  Street  to  Whitaker,  up  Whitaker  to  South  Broad  street,  up  South  Broad 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


181 


street  to  Barnard  street,  down  Barnard  street  to  St.  James  square,  fronting  the  church.  Returning, 
down  Barnard  street  to  Broughton  street,  down  Broughton  street  to  Bull  street,  down  Bull  street  to 
Bay  street.  » 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 
R.  R.  Cuyler,  \V.  Thorne  Williams,  F.  S.  Bartow,  William  Law,  W.  P.  White,  W.  B. 
Fleming,  J.  L.  Locke,  Alderman  J.  IJppman,  Robt.  Habersham,  E.  J.  Harden,  A.  R.  Lawton, 
Chas.  S.  Henry,  Geo.  Schley,  R.  D.  Arnold,  Alderman  R.  H.  Griffen,  Alderman  M.  Gumming. 

In  1850,  the  beauty  of  the  city  was  enhanced  by  the  present  Custom  House, 
a  massive  building  of  Quincy  granite,  on  the  south-east  corner  of  Bull  and  Bay 
streets.  The  architect,  Mr.  John  S.  Norris,  won  many  encomiums  for  the  impos- 
ing simplicity  of  his  work.  A  vast  stride  in  commercial  prosperity  is  marked 
by  the  contrast  in  the  building  of  1703  and  that  of  1850.  The  fir.st  House  of 
Customs  was  a  wooden  hut,  probably  sixteen  by  twenty-two  feet,  whose  exact  loca- 
tion is  uncertain.  Within  a  century  a  granite  pile  arises,  one  hundred  and  ten  feet 
in  length,  fifty-two  feet  in  depth,  the  same  in  height,  to  control  the  increasing 
customs  of  the  city.  Various  have  been  the  locations  of  the  Custom  House.  In 
1789,  "  Commercial  row,"  built  by  Robert  Bolton,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  day,  just  west  of  the  Exchange,  sheltered  the  Custom  House  ;  succeeding  that,  a 
building  on  the  old  site  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society  on  Bryan  street.  Its 
destruction  by  fire  caused  a  removal  to  the  Exchange,  where  the  customs  duties 
were  transacted  until  the  erection  of  the  present  structure  gave  the  customs  a  home. 
This  building  has  become  inadequate  for  the  Federal  business,  and  Congress  has 
again  made  provision  for  a  new  building. 

Savannah's  first  exports,  in  1749,  were  of  the  value  of  ten  thousand  dollars  ;  her 
exports  for  the  year  1887,  including  coastwise  and  foreign,  were  fifty-four  millions 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-four  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-two  dollars  and 
seventy-nine  cents.  In  1758,  forty-one  vessels  entered  the  new  port;  in  1887,  one 
thousand  three  hundi'ed  and  three  were  entered  and  cleared  at  the  Custom  House. 
Her  shipping  now  reaches  nearly  a  million  of  tonnage. 

Journalism  in  Savannah  ha.s  ever  been  strong  and  conservative,  typifying  the 
people.  In  1850,  there  were  four  daily  papers.  The  "  Georgian,"  the  Democratic 
organ  of  the  city  ;  the  "  Republican,"  the  Whig  organ  ;  the  "  Evening  Journal ; "  and 
the  "Morning  News,"  whose  first  number  was  issued  from  the  upper  story  of  the  old 
building  on  the  corner  of  Bull  and  Bay  Street  lane,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  January, 
1850.    Of  the  "Georgian"  there  is  an  account  elsewhere.    To  the  "  Republican  " 


182 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


must  be  accorded  the  honor  of  a  long  life.  For  seventy  odd  years  it  held  up 
the  mirror  to  the  passing  events  of  the  day,  in  politics  throughout  its  history 
having  been  devoted  to  conservative  news.  The  first  number  appeai'ed  on  the  first 
of  January,  1802,  under  the  name  of  the  "Georgia  Republican,"  a  semi-weekly 
paper,  issued  on  Tuesday  and  Friday,  edited  and  owned  by  John  F.  Everett.  In 
1807,  its  publication  was  changed  to  a  tri-weekly,  afternoon  edition,  issued  on  Tues- 
days, Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Republican  and  Savannah 
Evening  Ledger."  On  the  seventeenth  of  October,  1817,  the  paper  became  a  daily 
during  the  autumn  and  winter  months,  to  return  to  a  tri-weekly  during  the  sum- 
mer. In  1840,  the  motto  of  the  paper  adopted  was  "Union  of  the  Whigs  for  the 
sake  of  the  Union."  From  this  time  dates  the  "Republican's  "  active  advocacy  of 
Whig  principles,  when  it  again  became  a  morning  daily,  and  so  continued. 
Previous  to  the  war,  Mr.  James  R.  Sneed  and  Mr.  F.  W.  Sims  were  co-editors. 

Upon  the  capture  of  the  city  by  General  Sherman,  the  "Republican  "  office  with 
all  of  its  contents  was  taken  possession  of  according  to  military  authority,  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  December,  1864,  by  John  E.  Hayes,  the  war  correspondent  of  the 
New  York  "  Tribune."  He  published  the  paper  in  the  interest  of  the  Federal 
Government,  retaining  the  position  of  editor  and  proprietor  until  his  death,  in  1868. 
The  "Republican,"  cried  at  public  auction  on  the  sixth  day  of  October,  1868,  was 
bought  by  Mr.  James  R.  Sneed,  its  former  editor  and  proprietor.  He  conducted  it 
for  about  a  year,  when  it  was  again  sold  to  Colonel  William  A.  Reed.  He  published 
it  for  a  few  months,  then  announced  its  suspension.  Messrs.  Hardee  and  Scudder 
purchased  and  revised  it,  making  a  good  paper,  but  not  a  profitable  one ;  a  year's 
labor  satisfying  them  of  the  hopelessness  of  their  task,  they  disposed  of  the  property 
to  the  "Advertiser,"  a  comparatively  new  paper,  started  in  1868.  The  paper  then 
appeared  with  the  name  of  the  "  Advertiser  and  Republican."  Varying  fortunes 
attended  this  union,  till,  in  September  of  1875,  the  subscription  was  transferred  to 
the  "  Morning  News."  Savannah  has  been  an  uncertain  field  for  the  newspaper 
craft ;  probably  no  other  city  of  its  size  has  had  the  same  number  of  changes 
and  failures.  From  the  year  1850  to  1876,  at  least  twelve  ephemeral  newspaper 
ventures  were  launched  upon  the  city  :  but  the  one  started  in  1850,  by  John  M. 
Cooper,  with  a  platform  embraced  in  the  words,  "Neutrality,  independence,  and 
industry,"  has  steadily  steered  its  way  through  the  shoals  of  the  newspaper  sea, 
until  to-day  the  "Morning  News"  ranks  first  among  Georgia  newspapers.  For 
over  thirty  years  its  editor  was  William   F.  Thompson,  author  of  the  well- 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


183 


known  ''Major  Jones's  Courtship."  He  was  the  Horace  Greeley  of  the  "Morning 
News."  Proprietors  changed  again  and  again,  but  the  first  editor  held  the  helm. 
Another  well-known  Georgia  humorist,  author  of  the  "Uncle  Remus  "  sketches,  Joel 
Chandler  Harris,  was  associate  editor  for  a  number  of  years  upon  the  "  Morning 
News."  Upon  the  Federal  occupation  of  Savannah,  S.  W.  Mason  took  possession 
of  the  "News"  office,  and  began  the  publication  of  the  "Savannah  Herald,"  sub- 
sequently settling  the  claims  of  the  former  proprietors  of  the  "  News  "establishment, 
which  were  submitted  to  arbiti\ation.  The  paper  then  became  the  "Daily  News 
and  Herald."  In  July,  1867,  Mr.  J.  H.  Estill,  the  present  proprietor  and  editor 
of  the  "  News,"  purchased  a  part  interest  in  the  "  Morning  News."  A  year  later  he 
purchased  Mr.  Mason's  interest,  and  resumed  the  original  name  of  the  paper,  — 
"The  Savannah  Morning  News."  Mr.  Estill  holds  an  enviable  position  among 
Southern  pressmen. 

The  present  quarters  of  the  "  Morning  News  "  constitutes  one  of  the  most  com- 
manding buildings  in  the  city.  The  second  daily  now  published  in  the  city  origi- 
nated with  Mr.  B.  H.  Richardson,  a  former  editor  of  the  "  News,"  aided  by  Mr. 
W.  G.  Waller.  It  is  an  evening  publication,  the  only  eight-page  evening  daily  in 
the  State.  Its  present  editor,  Mr.  Gazaway  Hartridge,  maintains  a  high  standard 
of  journalism  in  the  columns  of  his  popular  paper. 

Forsyth  Park,  which,  as  Forsyth  place,  was  laid  out  by  an  act  of  the  City 
Council  in  1851,  derived  its  name  from  discussions  held  within  the  library-room  of 
Mr.  Tefft's  home.  To  Mr.  Hodgson,  it  is  claimed,  we  are  indebted  for  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  name  "Forsyth,"  after  the  brilliant  Georgian,  John  Forsyth  (at  that 
time  Minister  to  Spain) ,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  Congress  in  1.818  and 
1830,  and  as  governor  of  the  State  in  1827. 

The  memory  of  many  will  recall  the  days  when  the  park  was  enclosed  by  a 
white  wooden  fence,  the  site  of  the  present  fountain,  marked  by  a  small  wooden 
bridge.  In  1854  the  water-works  were  extended  to  the  park.  Later,  the  fountain, 
modelled  after  the  beautiful  one  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  in  Paris,  was  placed  in 
the  centre  of  the  park.  An  Ethiopian  domestic,  who  had  her  first  glimpse  of  the 
new  fountain,  returned  to  her  mistress  exclaiming,  "Oh,  my,  missus  !  I  nebber  seed 
men  spoutin'  water  like  dat  befo' !  "  When  gas  was  first  used  in  the  city,  the  same 
woman  said,  "De  debbil  is  in  de  pipe,  shuah  !  " 

Forsyth  Park,  consisting  of  twenty  acres,  enclosed  by  an  iron  fence,  has  for  its 
basic  element  a  forest  of  stately  pines  that  contrast  charmingly  with  the  variety  of 


184 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


trees  of  smaller  growth  and  native  shrubs.  The  beauty  of  winding  walks,  grassy 
swards,  and  groupings  of  bright  plants  is  the  production  of  two  minds,  of  which  the 
master-mind  was  that  of  Mr.  William  Bischotf,  a  celebrated  landscape  gardener  in 


FORSYTH  PARK. 


his  native  country,  Bavaria,  who  for  a  number  of  years  had  a  nursery  in  Savannah. 
His  plan  (the  original  of  which  is  now  to  to  be  seen  in  the  Surveyor's  office  in  the  city) , 
modified  and  altered  by  Mr.  John  B.  Hogg,  constitutes  the  present  plan  of  the  park. 

The  beginning  of  the  year  1852  was  marked  by  a  fall  of  snow  from  one  to  two 
inches  ;  the  unusual  occurrence  led  even  dignified  citizens  to  indulge  in  the  pastime 
of  snow-balling.  During  this  same  year  there  appeared  in  one  of  the  daily  papers 
the  first  imi)ressions  made  upon  a  stranger  by  the  sight  of  the  Exchange,  the  pride 
of  the  city.  "The  stranger  sails  up  the  Savannah  in  one  of  your  superb  steamers, 
and  anchors  opposite  the  most  prominent  object  in  the  city,  which  he  conceives  to 
be  a  tasteless  and  illy-constructed  manufactory,  perhaps  some  old  flouring-mill ;  but 
he  is  presently  informed  that  this  is  the  principal  public  building  belonging  to  the 
city,  ycleped  the  '  Exchange.'  On  either  side  are  long  ranges  of  dingy,  antiquated 
buildings,  with  loophole  windows  and  gables,  evidently  copied  from  '  Auld 
Reekie,'  in  Edinburgh.    Closing  up  the  end  of  the  handsomest,  the  most  central, 


HISTORIO  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


185 


and  feshionable  street  of  Savannah,  the  Exchange  presents  to  the  river  and  city  a 
square-built,  lateral-roofed,  barn-looking  edifice,  with  a  clumsy,  nondescript  sort  of 
watch-tower  rising  from  the  middle."  Let  us  take  a  glance  at  the  building  which 
occasioned  such  offence  to  the  artistic  eye  of  the  passing  stranger ;  plain  in  its 
aspect,  but  varied  in  the  interests  enclosed  within  its  walls.  There  was  then  no 
portico  in  front  to  relieve  the  staring  white  of  the  painted  walls  ;  a  few  years  later 
one  was  added.  The  only  ornament  was  a  long  pole  which  protruded  through  the 
rails  of  the  cupola,  and  on  gala  days  tiung  the  stars  and  stripes  to  the  breeze.  It  is 
related  that  an  enterprising  alderman,  prompted,  possibly,  by  the  stranger's  criti- 
cism of  the  Exchange,  carried  into  execution  the  plan  of  substituting  for  the  un- 
sightly pole  a  neat  flag-staff  erected  on  the  roof.  The  well-intentioned  act  raised  a 
storm  of  indignation  from  the  neighboring  merchants  on  the  Bay,  as  it  partly  hid  the 
clock  from  view  ;  the  flag-staff  was  re- 
moved. Thus  ended  the  attempt  to 
ornament  the  Exchange.  Across  its 
southern  front  stood  out  in  foot  letters 
in  bold  relief  the  name  of  the  "  Daily 
Georgian,"  whose  printing-office  and 
Princeton  press  were  established  upon 
the  lower  floor  on  Bay  street,  suc- 
cessor to  the  Post  Office  and  Cus- 
tom House.  Overhead  v/as  heard  the 
martial  tread  of  Savannah's  soldiery, 
—  a  number  of  the  companies  occupy- 
ing the  upper  rooms  as  armories.  The 
lowest  floor  and  the  vaults  beneath 
were  used  for  police  quarters,  together 
with  accommodations  in  the  United 
States  barracks,  until  the  erection 
of  the  present  spacious  and  ornamental  police  barracks  on  the  lot  east  of  the 
Old  Brick  Cemetery.  The  present  Council  Chamber  and  the  Mayor's  private  office 
then  formed  one  apartment,  known  as  the  "Long  Room."  Here  gathered  the 
citizens  of  Savannah  to  discuss  political  and  municipal  affairs.  The  "  unterritied 
Democrat  and  the  dignified  Whig"  met  in  friendly  rivalry.  Questions  of  public 
interest  —  of  railroads,  of  commerce,  of  the  health  of  the  city  —  were  started  and 


186 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


settled  in  the  Long  Room.  In  the  old  belfry  the  watchman  kept  his  nightly  guard 
over  the  city,  and  upon  the  stroke  of  twelve,  when  peace  and  quiet  reigned,  sent 
out  that  comforting  cry  of  "  All  is  well,"  or  else  he  swung  his  lanthorn  and  struck 
the  alarm,  accompanied  by  a  hoarse  cry  of  tire  at  the  faintest  glimmer  of  lurid 
light.  Indeed,  it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  on  more  than  one  occasion  an  over- 
zealous  guardian  of  the  town  aroused  the  citizens  to  see  the  moon  rise. 

The  Water-Works,  located  in  the  outer  portion  of  the  city,  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Ogeechee  canal,  were  erected  in  1853,  though  they  were  not  brought  into  full 
operation  until  1854.  The  distributing  reservoir  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  Franklin 
square.  The  past  year  (1888)  has  been  marked  by  an  event  in  the  system  of  the 
Savannah  Water-Works,  —  a  change  from  the  use  of  the  river  to  that  of  Artesian- 
well  water.  The  city  has  now  a  full  supply  of  pure,  wholesome  water,  derived  from 
wells  bored  at,  and  in  the  vicinity  of,  the  works.  There  are  fifteen  completed 
Artesian  wells.    The  present  superintendent  of  the  works  is  A.  N.  Miller,  Esq. 

The  Savannah,  Florida,  and  Western  Railway  Company,  now  known  as  the 
"Plant  System,"  a  worthy  contemporary  of  the  Central  road,  as  a  factor  of  pro- 
gressive expansion  for  Savannah,  was  first  organized  in  1853,  under  the  name  of 
the  Savannah  and  Albany  Railroad.  Doctor  John  Screven,  the  first  president,  was 
a  prime  mover  in  the  project. 

In  1854,  the  name  of  the  company  was  changed  to  the  Savannah,  Albany, 
and  Gulf  Railroad.  This  was  retained  until  the  adoption  of  the  present  name. 
This  line,  which  runs  from  Charleston  through  Savannah  to  the  Chattahoochee 
river  and  to  Jacksonville,  with  branches  to  Albany,  Bainbridge,  Gainesville,  and 
Brunswick,  with  a  steamship  line  from  Tampa  to  Havana  ana  Key  West,  com- 
bines over  eight  hundred  miles  of  track. 

The  policy  of  the  road  has  been  far-seeing  and  sagacious.  It  is  one  of  the 
best  equipped  railways  in  the  Union,  and  handles  most  admiral)ly  the  large  winter 
travel  to  and  from  Florida.  But  few  changes  have  been  made  in  the  management 
of  the  road  the  past  year.  H.  B.  Plant  still  presides  over  the  entire  system,  with 
W.  S.  Chisholm,  Vice-President;  H.  S.  Haines,  General  Manager;  R.  G.  Flem- 
ing, Superintendent;  C.  D.  Owens,  Trafiic  Manager;  and  William  P.  Hardee, 
General  Passenger  Agent. 

Like  the  Central,  the  Savannah,  Florida,  and  Western  Company  has  vast 
wharves,  which  are  centres  of  activity  and  enterprise.  Acres  of  ground  about  the 
wharves  are  covered  with  barrels  of  resin  and  turpentine.     ludeed,  the  business 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


187 


of  naval  stores,  now  of  such  commercial  importance  to  Savannah,  ranking  it  as 
the  first  naval  stores'  station  in  the  world,  was  the  creation  of  this  railway  com- 
pany. In  1875,  the  receipts  at  Savannah  were  nine  thousand  five  hundred  and 
fifty-five  barrels  of  turpentine,  and  forty-one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven  barrels  of  resin;  in  1887,  the  astonishing  figures  were  reached  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-eight  barrels  of  turpentine, 
and  six  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-nine  barrels  of  resin. 
Since  1880,  the  naval  stores'  business  has  more  than  doubled  its  former  trade. 

In  1854,  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Union  Society  purchased  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  the  Bethesdu  estate,  erected  buildings  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  orphans  under  its  charge,  and  removed  them  thither.  On  the  twenty- 
third  of  April,  1888,  the  president  sul)mitted  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-eighth 
annual  report  of  the  society,  in  which  lie  stated  that  the  charity  in  the  past  year 
had  covered  a  wider  field  of  usefulness  than  ever  before.  Of  one  hundred  and  six 
boys  under  the  care  of  the  society,  during  that  period,  eighty-nine  were  present. 

The  flourishing  status  of  the  society  is  due  to  the  effective  workings  of  the 
following  oflScers,  all  of  whom  were  unanimously  reelected :  — 


President  . 
Vice-President 


J.  H.  Estill. 
A.  L.  Hartridge. 
John  Sullivan. 
W.  K.  Wilkinson. 


Treasurer  . 
Secretary  . 


The  Managers. 


D.  E.  Thomas, 
F.  M.  Hull, 
William  Rogers, 


T.  M.  Cunningham, 
R.  G.  Fleming, 
R.  B.  Reppard, 


Thomas  Ballantyne, 
RuFus  E.  Lester, 
H.  F.  BoTTS 


George  S.  Owens, 
Abram  Minis, 


Honorary  Managers. 
A.  R.  Lawton, 
R.  D.  Walker, 


G.  M.  Sorrel, 
Charles  H.  Olmstead, 


Stewards. 


Osceola  Butler, 
F.  W.  Dasher,! 


John  B.  Fernandez, 
g.  w.  cubbedge, 


J.  A.  G.  Carson, 
J.  A.  Thomas. 


1  Deceased. 


188 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  event  of  the  early  months  of  the  year  1854  was  the  arrival  of  ex-President 
Fillmore  in  Savannah,  the  second  ex-President  to  partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  the 
city.  An  extract  from  the  "  Georgian,"  of  Friday,  the  twenty-first  of  April, 
announces  the  approach  of  the  ex-President :  — 

It  is  announced  by  a  despatch  in  another  column  that  Ex-President  Fillmore  will  arrive  here 
this  evening  at  half  past  five  o'clock  and  remain  over  Simday.  The  ex-President  is  accompanied  by 
the  Honorable  John  P.  Kennedy.  A  deputation  from  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  will  depart 
on  this  morning's  train  to  meet  the  ex-President  and  suite  at  Griffin's  Dinner  House,  on  the  Central 
Railroad.  On  his  arrival  at  the  Railroad  Depot  here,  he  will  be  formally  welcomed  by  the  Mayor 
and  Aldermen,  and  the  Committee  of  Reception,  followed  by  a  salute  of  thirty  one  guns  from  tlie 
Chatham  Artillery.  The  reception  ceremonies  will  take  place  in  the  extensive  warehouse  of  the 
Centi'al  Raih'oad,  after  which  the  distinguished  guest  and  suite  will  be  honored  by  a  civic  and  mili- 
tary escort  to  quarters  provided  at  the  Pulaski  House.  During  the  sojourn  of  the  guests,  a  compli- 
mentary Ball,  at  St.  Andrew's  Hall,  and  an  Excursion  to  Fort  Pulaski  are  contemplated.  Tuesday, 
April  twenty-fifth.  —  Ex-President  Fillmore  in  Savannah.  At  the  time  we  write  the  ex-President 
and  suite,  accompanied  by  a  select  party  of  our  fellow-citizens,  are  going  down  the  river,  to  view 
Fort  Pulaski,  and  other  places  of  interest,  on  board  tlie  beautiful  steamer  "  Seminole."  On  Satm- 
day,  in  company  with  Savannah  gentlemen,  he  visited  Bonaventure.  On  Sunday  morning,  he 
attended  Christ  Chui'ch,  Reverend  Bishop  Elliott  officiating.  In  the  afternoon  he  attended  the  Inde- 
pendent Presbyterian  Church,  and  listened  to  a  sermon  from  Reverend  Chas.  Rogers,  in  the  absence 
of  the  Pastor,  Reverend  Doctor  Preston.  In  the  evening,  he  attended  the  Unitarian  Church,  Rev- 
erend John  Pierpont,  Junior,  to  which  denomination  we  believe  he  is  attached  as  a  member.  Yes- 
terday from  ten  to  eleven  o'clock  a  public  levee  was  held  at  the  Pulaski  House.  The  citizens  with- 
out distinction  paid  their  respects  to  the  ex-President.  At  eleven  o'clock  by  invitation  of  Captain 
Hardie  Mr.  Fillmore  and  suite  visited  the  Steamship  the  "  Key  Stone  State."  He  was  welcomed  by 
a  salute  of  twenty  one  guns.  Afterwards  the  Steamer  "  Seminole  "  was  placed  at  his  disposal  — the 
ex-President  and  his  friends  viewing  the  scenery  down  the  river.  Dinner  followed,  and  many  toasts 
were  enjoyed  on  board  the  "  Seminole."  The  Boat  returned  to  the  city  at  an  early  hour  of  the  evening, 
in  time  to  attend  the  ball,  where  there  was  a  large  gathering.  On  Tuesday  morning  the  party 
departed  for  Charleston  accompanied  by  several  citizens. 

The  latter  months  of  the  year  were  made  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the 
city  by  both  pestilence  and  storm,  that  wrought  havoc  and  desolation,  the  one 
following  in  the  track  of  the  other.  On  the  twelfth  of  August,  1854,  yellow  fever 
made  its  appearance  in  Washington  Ward.  A  month  later,  on  the  twelfth  of  Sep- 
tember, the  mortality  in  the  city  reached  its  maximum  height :  fifty-one  interments 
reported  on  that  day.  From  the  twentieth  of  September,  a  decline  of  the  sickness 
began,  and  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  October  but  one  interment  was  made.  The 


HlbTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


189 


last  death  by  the  fever  occurred  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  November.  Two-thirds  of 
the  permanent  white  population  left  the  city  when  the  fever  became  epidemic,  leav- 
ing six  thousand  persons  to  brave  the  disease,  a  majority  of  whom  were  prostrated. 
During  the  raging  of  the  fever,  on  the  eighth  of  September  a  destructive  storm  fell 
upon  Savannah,  an  added  horror  to  the  plague-stricken  city,  causing  heavy  loss  in 
property.  South  Broad  street  was  a  forest  of  wrecked  trees.  It  was  an  era  of 
distress  and  darkness  for  the  city,  but  the  paralyzed  energies  of  the  citizens  wei-e 
revived  by  the  active  sympathy  of  the  benevolent  from  all  quarters,  pouring  in  con- 
tributions of  money  and  provisions  to  the  grateful  Savannahians.  Thanks  were 
proposed  at  a  meeting  of  the  City  Council,  by  Alderman  Screven,  for  the  assist- 
ance given  during  the  epidemic,  in  the  following  language  :  — 

Whereas  by  the  dispensation  of  Providence,  this  city  lias  been  afflicted  witli  an  epidemic  of  the 
most  fatal  character,  and  its  inhabitants  during  its  prevalence  have  been  the  recipients  of  the  munifi- 
cence and  benevolence  of  various 'public  Bodies,  charitable  associations,  and  individuals.  Be  it 
therefore  Resolved  — That  the  thanks  of  this  Body  are  due,  and  are  hereby  tendered  to  the  corporate 
authorities  of  our  Sister  Cities,  for  the  sympathy  they  have  manifested  in  the  afflictions  of  this  City, 
and  for  their  generous  contributions  in  aid  of  its  suffering  and  destitute  inhabitants.  Resolved  that 
the  thanks  of  this  Body  are  due,  and  are  hereby  tendei'ed  to  all  benevolent  and  other  associations, 
and  to  individuals,  who  have  in  any  manner  contributed  to  the  relief  of  the  afflicted  in  this  city. 
Thanks  to  the  resident  Ph3'sicians  for  tlieir  noble  conduct  during  the  efjidemic  ;  to  transient  Physi- 
cians for  their  professional  gallantry,  when  our  Physicians  were  falling  in  our  midst,  victims  to  the 
faithful  discharge  of  duties.  Thanks  to  the  devoted  Clergy,  who  without  exception  pursued  their 
holy  calling.    Thanks  to  the  Young  Men's  Benevolent  Association. 

A  letter  written  to  the  governor  of  the  State  bears  witness  to  the  gratitude  of 
the  people  for  relief  afforded  them  :  — 

To  IIis  ExcELLENCV  Herschel  V.  JOHNSTON,  Qovemor  of  State  of  Georgia :  — 

My  dear  Sir,  — I  have  been  directed  to  transmit  to  you  the  enclosed  resolutions.  They  but 
feebly  express  the  gratitude  and  affection,  which  the  people  of  Savannah  feel  for  you.  The  gener- 
osity of  our  People,  which  saved  us  from  the  necessity  of  calling  upon  you,  for  the  aid  which  you 
had  tendered  to  us,  affords  the  highest  evidence  that  you  understood  the  character  of  the  People  of 
Georgia,  when  you  were  mlling  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  relieving  distress,  relying  upon 
them  for  support.  Your  Noble  Conduct  has  commanded  the  approval  of  all  classes  in  every  section 
of  the  State.    And  I  beg  you,  my  dear  Sir,  to  acce2:)t  from  me  my  wai'mest  thanks. 

Very  respectfully  and  truly 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

JOHN  E.  WARD, 

Mayor  of  Savannah. 


190  HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

Since  1854  but  two  epidemics  of  yellow  fever  have  visited  Savannah :  the  one 
in  1858,  which,  in  comparison  with  the  epidemic  of  1854,  proved  light ;  rhe  second, 
in  the  summer  of  1876,  that  swept  through  the  city  like  an  avenging  fury.  Too 
recent  is  it  to  be  dwelt  upon,  but  its  virulence  awoke  the  dormant  State  to  the 
importance  of  prompt,  active  measures  to  improve  the  condition  of  Savannah.  In 
1877,  the  Legislature  of  Georgia  made  an  appropriation  of  one-third  of  the  tax  of 
the  county  of  Chatham,  in  which  Savannah  lies,  amounting  to  twenty-seven  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars,  for  the  drainage  of  the  swamps  about  the 
city.  These,  admitting  of  little  culture  aside  from  that  of  rice,  had  long  been  dis- 
ease-breeders, furnishing  a  sure  lodgment  for  epidemics.  Smiling  truck  farms  and 
vegetable  gardens  now  flourish  upon  the  once  dark,  unhealthy  marshes.  Baleful 
vapors  of  a  malarious  environment  no  longer  hang  over  the  fair  city.  Immeasur- 
able have  been  the  moral  and  sanitary  efiects  of  the  transformation  of  black  bogs 
into  truck  industries,  and  Savannah  bids  fair  to  take  the  first  rank  among  the 
healthful  cities  of  this  country. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  the  distressing  days  of  1854  to  the  opening  of  the 
new  year  of  1855,  when,  on  the  ninth  of  January,  the  Pulaski  Monument  (conspicu- 
ous among  the  monuments  of  Savannah  for  its  chaste  and  spirited  design)  was 
delivered  into  the  custody  of  its  future  guardians,  the  mayor  and  aldermen  of 
Savannah. 

"A  novel  and  most  happy  idea  was  the  collation  prepared  in  the  square,  at  four  • 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  for  the  pupils  of  the  various  schools  of  the  city.  Nearly 
five  hundred  covers  were  laid,  and  a  perfect  mountain  of  sweetmeats,  cakes,  fruit, 
and  all  those  things  most  likely  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  the  juveniles.  It  was  a 
beautiful  sight  to  see  the  neatly-dressed  scholars  with  their  white  satin  badges  and 
silk  banners  of  various  designs,  marching,  with  their  several  teachers  at  their  head, 
around  the  square  into  the  places  assigned  them  by  the  order  of  the  ceremonies. 
This  was  altogether  a  happy  idea,  and  the  scene  was  one  which  will  be  long  and 
fondly  remembered  in  maturer  years  by  the  little  participants,  in  the  happiness 
which  the  commissioners  must  have  felt,  as  they  imparted  it  to  all  who  approached 
them  on  this  memorable  occasion."  To  many  the  sight  must  have  revived  thoughts 
of  Chippewa  square  thirty  years  before,  when  the  children  assembled  to  do  homage 
to  the  veteran  hero,  Lafayette,  upon  the  laying  of  the  first  corner-stone  of  the  present 
monument.  This  stone,  originally  laid  in  Chippewa  square,  by  General  Lafayette, 
together  with  another  of  equal  size  united  to  it  by  copper  bands,  and  containing  the 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURE ii QUE  SAVANNAH 


191 


records  of  the  day,  was  relaid  in  Monterey  square,  on  the  eleventh  of  October, 
1853,  with  imposing  ceremonies.  Destined  again  to  be  moved  when  the  architect, 
Robert  G.  Launitz,  of  New  York  (the  eminent  artist  whose  design  the  monument 
perpetuates) ,  arrived  in  the  city  with  his  workmen.  The  corner-stone  now  rests  on 
the  foundation  in  the  nortli-east  enclosed  by  the  plinth  at  that  corner.  Soon  after, 
the  supposed  remains  of  Pulaski  were  brought  to  the  monument,  were  put  in  a 
metallic  case,  hermetically  sealed,  and  placed  within  the  plinth  alongside  of  the 
corner-stone.  The  remains  had  been  exhumed  in  December  of  1853,  in  Greenwich, 
on  Augustine  Creek,  the  traditional  place  of  Pulaski's  burial.  Upon  an  anatomical 
examination  of  the  remains  by  the  medical  staff"  of  Savannah,  the  conformity  of  the 
remains  to  such  a  man  as  Pulaski  had  been  described,  decided  the  commissioners  of 
the  monument  to  place  the  remains  within  the  structure.  To  the  late  Major 
William  P.  Bowen  must  be  given  the  chief  honor  in  the  project  and  the  final 
erection  of  the  Pulaski  Monument. 

Like  all  cities  of  greater  or  less  size.  Savannah,  though  preserving  the  original 
plan  of  her  first  survey,  has  yet  been  subject  to  that  capricious  law  by  which  the 
once  fashionable  quarter  becomes  the  heart  of  the  poor  man's  region.  Yamacraw, 
including  that  section  of  the  city  west  of  Jefferson  street,  for  many  years  remained 
the  red  man's  territory,  free  from  taxation ;  and  the  rights  of  the  red  man  were 
respected.  At  length  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  white  man,  with  succeed- 
ing years  to  constitute  the  "  West  End,"  the  aristocratic  quarter  of  the  city.  On 
the  hill  on  the  corner  of  West  Broad  and  Indian  streets  (now  the  notorious 
"Pepper  Hill"  locality)  stood  in  former  years  the  town  mansion  of  the  Winklers, 
a  fine  old  I'esidence  in  its  day.  Where  the  lavishness  of  the  typical  planters  once 
held  sway,  the  din  of  the  chisel  and  hammer  are  now  to  be  heard.  A  blacksmith 
shop  and  wagon  and  cart  manufactory  succeeded  the  beautiful  gardens  of  the 
Gibbons,  another  family  of  wealthy  planters.  On  Farm  street,  near  the  head  of 
Joachim  street,  was  the  site  of  the  fine  residence  of  the  Stiles  family,  a  name 
familiar  in  the  historical  records  of  the  State.  This  estate  at  one  time  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  in  the  city.  The  Springfield  plantation  and  the  Vale  royal  planta- 
tion (the  latter  the  property  of  the  Central  Railroad),  once  comprised  a  portion  of 
the  Stiles  estate,  and  from  the  portico  of  the  mansion  on  Farm  street  the  owners 
looked  down  upon  the  magnificent  fields,  whose  broad  acres,  teeming  with  products, 
might  have  compared  favorably  with  the  landed  possessions  of  old  feudal  days ; 
a  warehouse  arose  upon  the  site  of  the  house,  and  the  immense  plantation  was  cut 


192 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


up  into  garden  patches,  much  of  it  traversed  by  a  canal  and  the  intricate  network 
of  railroad  tracks.  So  has  the  powerful  hand  of  trade  swept  away  the  glory  of  the 
former  days.  But  two  houses  stand  to-day  mournful  relics  of  the  past  grandeur  and 
hospitality  of  Yamacraw.  The  old  Scarborough  mansion,  before  mentioned,  and  the 
immense  stuccoed  house  familiarly  known  as  the  "  Wetter  Mansion,"  on  the  corner 
of  South  Broad  and  West  Broad  streets.  The  tide  of  fashion  now  turned  eastward 
and  southward.  Two  houses,  both  facing  on  Jones  street,  on  diagonal  corners  of 
Bull  street,  the  one  a  large  square  brick  of  three  stories,  the  other,  the  more  typi- 
cal city  house  of  four  stories,  built  of  brick  and  brown  stucco,  became  the  centres 
of  the  literary  life  of  Savannah.  The  former  was  the  residence  of  the  late  Alex- 
ander A.  Smets,  who  made  one  of  the  finest  collections  in  the  South  of  rare  books 
of  literature,  science,  and  of  drawings  and  engravings.  His  library  was  well 
known  to  scholars  both  in  Europe  and  America. 

We  quote  from  the  "  Southern  Literary  Messenger  :  "  — 

The  first  emotion  on  entering  and  casting  the  eye  around  upon  the  magnificent  display  of  the 
ample  shelves,  is  that  of  surprise,  that  the  visitor  has  not  before  heard  of  so  extensive  and  luxm-ious 
a  collection.  In  our  country,  where  so  few  enjoy  the  means  of  accumulating  valuable  books,  and 
where  even  those  so  rarely  have  a  taste  for  bibliothecal  treasures,  it  is  of  the  rarest  occurrence  that 
we  may  meet  with  a  good  and  well  selected  library.  But  here  the  visitor  will  be  apt  to  say  is 
surely  the  most  sumptuous,  if  not  the  largest  and  most  recherche  library  in  the  country.  The  library 
does  not  rest  its  claims  upon  the  large  number  of  volumes  it  contains,  of  which  there  are,  perhaps, 
five  thousand,  but  upon  the  choice  selection  of  the  authors  and  the  great  rarity  of  the  editions. 

Elaborate  missals  of  the  twelfth  century,  folios  of  magazines  peculiarly  rich  in 
illuminated  missals,  original  editions  of  Hogarth,  books  of  Hours  and  Missals,  were 
some  of  the  gems  of  this  library,  which  fell  a  sacrifice  under  the  auctioneer's  hammer 
in  New  York  City  after  the  stormy  days  of  1860-1865. 

The  latter  house,  l)uilt  by  the  late  I.  K.  Tetl't,  was  taken  possession  of  on  the 
twelfth  of  February,  1850,  a  date  commemorating  the  anniversary  of  the  Georgia 
Historical  Society,  as  well  as  Mr.  Tefft's  birthday,  a  fitting  augury  to  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Societj'.  Many  literary  reunions  were  held 
within  its  walls.  It  shared  with  the  hospitable  mansion  of  the  Telfairs,  on  St. 
James  square,  the  honor  of  welcoming  distinguished  strangers  to  the  city.  The  rare 
collection  of  autographs  gained  for  its  unobtrusive,  quiet  owner  not  only  a  country, 
but  a  world  renown,  and  to  him  all  persons  of  distinction  visiting  Savannah 


EISTOBIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


193 


brought  letters  of  introduction,  counting  not  the  least  among  the  pleasures  of  their 
visit  the  pleasant  time  spent  in  looking  over  his  collection  of  autographs.  Freder- 
ika  Bremer,  the  charming  Swedish  writer  who  partook  of  the  hospitalities  of  Mr. 
Tefft's  home  in  1850,  and  again  in  1852,  thus  writes  of  her  host  and  Savannah  in 
her  book, 

THE  HOMES  OF  THE  NEW  WORLD. 

"The  greatest  Antogi-aph  Collector  in  the  world"  is  also  the  most  friendly,  the  best-hearted, 
man  in  the  world,  and  so  kind  to  me  that  I  shall  always  think  of  him  with  gratitude.  His  collection 
of  autographs  is  the  first  which  I  have  ever  been  able  to  examine  with  interest  and  respect,  not 
because  it  occupies  many  folios,  and  has  a  whole  room  appropriated  to  it,  and  could  not  be  fully 
examined  in  less  than  six  or  seven  months,  which  certainly  might  inspire  I'espect,  but  because  a  por- 
trait is  appended  to  the  hand-writing  of  each  distinguished  person,  mostly  an  excellent  copper-plate 
engraving,  together  with  some  letter,  or  interesting  document  belonging  to  the  history  of  that  indi- 
vidual. All  this  gives  to  the  autographical  collection  of  Mr.  Tefft  a  real  historical  and  biographical 
interest.  Savannah  is  the  most  charming  of  cities,  and  reminds  me  of  the  "  maiden  in  the  green 
wood."  It  is  even  more  than  Charleston,  an  assemblage  of  villas,  which  have  come  together  for" 
company.  In  each  quarter  is  a  green  market-place,  surrounded  with  magnificent  lofty  trees,  and  in 
the  centre  of  each  verdant  market-place  leaps  up  a  living  fountain,  a  spring  of  fresh  water  gushing 
forth,  shining  in  the  sun,  and  keejoing  the  green  sward  moist  and  cool.  Savannah  might  be  called 
"  the  city  of  the  gushing  springs."  There  cannot  be  in  the  whole  woi'ld  a  moi'e  beautiful  city  than 
Savannah.  Now,  however,  it  is  too  warm.  There  is  too  much  sand  and  too  little  water,  but  I  like 
Savannah. 

Among  the  number  of  distinguished  men  and  women  welcomed  to  Mr.  Tefft's 
house  are  the  names  of  Fuller,  Mackay,  N.  P.  Willis,  William  Cullen  Bryant, 
Dorothea  L.  Dix,  Edward  Everett,  John  Pierpont,  Harriet  Martineau,  Thackeray, 
My  Lord  of  Morpeth,  and  Prince  Achille  Murat. 

The  house  is  at  present  occupied  and  owned  by  Mrs.  C.  C.  Walden,  a  daughter- 
in-law  of  the  late  Mr.  Tefft. 

A  third  house,  on  Bull  street,  on  the  south-west  corner  of  Liberty  street,  built 
by  Mr.  Padelford,  constituting  one  of  the  largest  establishments  in  the  city,  became 
the  home  of  the  late  G.  W.  J.  De  Renne,  to  whom  both  the  State  and  the  city  are 
indebted  for  public- spirited  service  and  liberality  in  preserving  and  publishing 
valuable  early  records  of  the  colony.  Himself  a  descendant  of  the  friend  and 
trusted  Lieutenant  of  Oglethorpe,  Noble  Wymberly  Jones,  Mr.  De  Renne  at  all 
times  cherished  a  remarkable  affection  for  the  traditions  and  memories  of  his  family 


194 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURE SQUE  SAVANNAH 


and  the  State.  The  Georgia  Historical  Society  reaped  the  benefit  of  his  researches 
in  valuable  documents  and  publications.  To  his  liberality,  also,  will  the  Confeder- 
ate monument  remain  a  lasting  witness.  The  home  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  De 
Renne's  family. 

That  master  of  English  prose,  William  Makepeace  Thackeray,  has  personally 
recorded  his  impressions  of  Savannah  in  a  letter  written  on  the  "Feast  of  Saint 
Valentine,  1855."    A  guest  for  a  time  of  the  late  Andrew  Low,  Esq.,  in  his  home 


road,  a  fcAV  happy  negroes,  sauntering  here  and  there,  a  red  river  with  a  tranquil 
little  fleet  of  merchant-men  taking  in  cargo,  and  tranquil  warehouses  barricaded 


racket,  no  crowds  — "  ' 

Great  man  with  a  great  heart !  His  presence  lingers  in  the  wide  old  streets  of 
Savannah  like  a  benediction.  In  the  square  where  his  footsteps  must  often  have 
sti'ayed,  careless  childhood  delights  to  play ;  cold  and  cynical  at  times  to  the  world 
of  men  and  women,  happy,  guileless  children  ever  touched  a  responsive  chord  in  his 
sympathies,  and  in  their  presence  the  world-wearied  man  became  as  a  little  child. 

Of  him  has  some  one  well  said  :  — 


fronting  on  Lafayette  square,  can  we  not  picture 
the  genial,  kindly,  gentle  Thackeray,  seated  at  a 
window  overlooking  the  green  square,  inditing 
that  letter  wherein  he  speaks  of  Savannah  "  as  a 
tranquil  old  city,  wide-streeted,  tree-planted,  with 
a  few  cows  and  carriages  toiling  through  the  sandy 


with  packs  of  cotton,  —  no  row,  no  tearing  Northern  bustle,  no  ceaseless  hotel 


"  Whose  feet  are  guided  thro'  the  land, 

AVhose  jest  among  his  friends  is  free; 
Who  talies  the  cliildren  on  his  knee ; 


And  winds  their  curls  about  his  hand. 


He  plays  with  threads,  he  beats  his  chair, 
For  pastime,  dreaming  of  the  sky; 
His  inner  day  can  never  die  ; 

His  night  of  loss  is  always  there." 


1  "  Scribner's  Magazine."  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


SAVANNAH   IN   WAR  TIME. 


O  description  of  Savannah  Avould  be  complete  that  failed  to  include  a  glimpse 


-L^     of  life  in  the  city  during  the  period  of  the  war  between  the  States. 

Already  those  eventful  years,  so  full  of  incident,  of  exultant  hope,  of  bitter  de- 
spondency, of  fierce  joy  and  unavailing  sorrow,  have  acquired  a  remoteness  that  it  is 
hard  to  realize.  To  those  who  lived  through  those  stirring  times  the  recollection  of 
them  comes  now  and  then  with  singular  clearness  and  sharpness  of  outline.  Yet  it  is 
not  always  so  ;  the  flight  of  years,  the  exactions  of  a  new  order  of  life,  the  great  his- 
toric changes  that  have  taken  place  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  onward  rush 
of  intellectual  and  scientific  thought  in  this  wonderful  century,  —  all  these  things 
have  naturally  tended  to  throw  into  dim  perspective  the  events  of  life  in  the  Con- 
federacy, even  to  the  actors  therein.  While  to  a  younger  generation,  who  know  only 
of  them  from  reading  and  tradition,  they  seem  as  far  back  in  the  past  as  the  earlier 
scenes  of  American  history.  The  writer  remembers  the  impressions  made  upon  his 
early  boyhood  by  the  stories  told  by  older  members  of  the  family  of  the  last  war 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  The  events  described  seemed  to 
belong  to  another  age  and  another  people.  Yet  they  had  happened  but  about  thirty 
years  before,  but  a  few  years  more  than  the  interval  which  now  separates  the  sur- 
render at  Appomattox  from  the  present  time.  The  more  salient  features  of  life  in 
Confederate  times,  the  great  political  movements  that  led  to  the  rupture  between 
the  States,  and  the  mighty  battles  that  marked  the  conflict, —  all  these  will  live  in 
history ;  but  history  takes  no  note  of  many  things  that  are  fully  as  interesting  as 
feats  of  diplomacy  or  of  strategy,  and  of  such  scenes  and  circumstances  it  is  now  our 
purpose  to  speak. 

^  The  summer  of  1860  was  marked  by  an  intense  feeling  of  excitement  and 
uneasiness  throughout  all  of  the  Southern  States,  but  nowhere,  except  possibly  in 
our  neighboring  city,  Charleston,  was  this  more  keen  than  in  Savannah.  The  split 
in  the  Democratic  convention,  resulting  in  the  nomination  of  two  candidates  for 


(196) 


196 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


the  presidency  by  that  party,  rendered  it  almost  certain  that  the  Republican  party 
would  succeed  in  electing  its  candidate,  and  in  the  minds  of  all  men  there  was  a 
settled  conviction  that  that  meant  trouble.  There  was  a  certain  feverish  unrest 
that  pervaded  every  class  of  society  ;  in  everj^  gathering  of  whatever  character, 
whether  public  or  private,  political  or  social,  the  situation  was  the  one  absorbing 
theme.  The  community  was  stirred  to  its  depths,  and  when  the  election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  became  an  assured  fact,  the  people  were  prepared  at  once  for  resistance. 

Just  how  that  resistance  should  be  made  most  effective,  there  was  doubtless 
much  difference  of  opinion  ;  but  upon  the  question  of  peaceably  submitting  to  the 
government  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  or  in  some  way  refusing  to  do  so,  the  people  of 
Savannah  were  practically  united,  —  they  chose  the  latter.  It  is  right  to  lay  stress 
upon  this,  for  the  reason  that  of  late  years  it  has  become  much  the  fashion  to  say 
that  the  Southern  people  were  dragged  into  the  war  by  their  leaders.  Such,  cer- 
tainly, was  not  the  case  in  this  good  old  city  of  Oglethorpe.  The  people  looked  to 
their  leaders  to  guide  them  in  the  method  of  resistance ;  the  thing  itself  seemed  de- 
termined upon  spontaneously.  There  was  an  immediate  and  rapid  growth  of  mili- 
tary sentiment,  which  found  expression  not  only  in  the  filling  up  of  the  ranks  of  the 
existing  companies,  but  also  in  the  formation  of  organizations  of  peculiar  character 
and  name.  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  calls  for  meetings  of  "Minute  Men," 
"Regulators,"  "Rattlesnakes,"  and  the  like,  signed  by  "'76,"  "Southron," 
"Liberty,"  etc.,  etc.  After  the  real  work  of  the  war  began,  nothing  more  was 
heard  of  these  clubs,  but  their  existence  was  a  mark  of  the  restlessness  of  the 
time. 

Excitement  culminated  upon  the  reception  of  the  news  of  the  removal  of  Major 
Anderson  and  his  command  from  an  untenable  position  at  Fort  Moultrie  to  the 
stronger  Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston  harbor,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  December. 
There  was  open  expression  of  the  opinion  that  Georgia  should  forestall  such  occupa- 
tion of  the  forts  upon  her  coast  by  the  United  States  government ;  and  when,  on  the 
second  day  of  January,  1861,  it  liecame  known  that  Governor  Brown  had  ordered 
the  seizure  and  occupation  of  Fort  Pulaski  by  the  military,  under  command  of 
Colonel  A.  R.  Lawton,  on  the  following  day,  the  city  was  wild  with  enthusiasm 
and  patriotic  fervor.  Yet  beneath  it  all  there  was  an  undercurrent  of  sober  thought, 
for  this  was  an  act  from  which  there  was  no  return.  Looking  back  upon  the  ar- 
rangements that  were  made  for  the  setting  out  of  that  first  military  expedition,  there 
is  temptation  to  smile  at  the  amount  of  "  impedimenta  "  that  was  prepared  for  the 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


197 


small  force  of  less  than  two  hundred  men.  There  was  scant  time  between  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  order  and  the  hour  named  for  its  execution,  yet  when,  on  the 
morning  of  the  third,  the  companies  marched  down  to  the  wharf  to  embark  on  the 
little  steamer  "  Ida,"  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they  were  encumbered  with  much  more 
baooaae  than  served  later  in  the  war  for  an  entire  division  in  the  field.  Every  man 
had  his  cot,  every  three  or  four  men  a  mess-chest,  with  pots,  kettles,  pans,  and 
other  cooking  utensils  in  liberal  allowance,  not  to  si)eak  of  trunks,  valises,  mat- 
tresses, camp-chairs,  etc.,  —  in  all,  a  pile  large  enough  to  make  the  heart  of  a 
quartermaster  sink  within  him.  It  was  evident  that  the  troops  had  long  antici- 
pated the  call  upon  their  services,  and  also  that  the  mothers,  wives,  and  sisters  of 
Savannah  had  with  anxious  forethought  determined  that  their  loved  ones  should 
carry  into  service  as  many  of  the  comforts  of  home  as  possible. 

The  wharves  were  crowded  with  citizens, —  men,  women,  and  children,  —  who 
came  to  wave  ff\re well  and  wish  "  God-speed  "  to  the  soldiery  ;  and  so,  with  colors  flying 
and  bands  playing,  and  amid  the  frantic  cheers  of  the  people  from  one  end  of  the 
city  to  the  other,  the  "  Ida  "  steamed  away  with  her  gallant  freight,  and  Savannah's 
first  act  of  war  was  consummated.  Alas,  how  man}^  of  the  brave  young  hearts  that 
beat  high  on  that  beautiful  morning  were  soon  to  be  stilled  forever  !  How  little  any 
of  them  realized  the  nature  or  the  extent  of  the  struggle  that  was  immediately  before 
them. 

The  constant  call  upon  the  military  of  Savannah  fi'om  that  time  forward  to 
garrison  the  fort  was  of  itself  enough  to  keep  the  people  more  or  less  in  a  state  of 
excited  feeling ;  but  events  elsewhere  were  moving  on  apace.  South  Carolina  had 
formally  seceded,  and  from  every  part  of  the  State  came  the  cry  that  Georgia  must 
make  common  cause  with  her  sister  State  and  follow  in  the  same  pathway.  A 
convention  was  called  to  consider  what  course  the  State  should  pursue,  but,  pending 
its  assembly,  public  meetings  were  held  by  the  citizens  in  every  city  and  village. 
In  Savannah  there  was  a  mighty  gathering  at  the  Masonic  Hall  (now  the  quarters  of 
the  Oglethorpe  Club),  on  the  corner  of  Bull  and  Broughton  streets.  At  least,  the 
business  part  of  the  meeting  was  in  the  hall,  but  it  could  not  contain  a  tenth  part  of 
the  people  who  were  assembled  in  dense  masses  in  the  contiguous  streets,  with  flaming 
torches  and  transparencies  ;  while  from  numerous  bands  came  the  notes  of  "La  Mar- 
seillaise" and  "Dixie,"  two  airs  that  never  failed  to  elicit  the  most  frantic  cheering. 

A  series  of  resolutions  had  been  prepared  and  presented  to  the  meeting,  reciting 
the  troubles  and  grievances  of  which  the  South  complained,  and  advocating  secession 


198 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


from  the  Union  as  the  only  remed3^  Fervid  and  eloquent  addresses  were  made  by 
one  and  another  of  Savannah's  distinguished  sons  ;  but  as  all  of  the  speakers  were 
men  who  were  known  to  be  identified  with  the  Cause,  there  was  a  general  feeling 
that  it  would  be  well  were  some  expression  given  by  representatives  of  the  more 
conseiwative  element.  It  was  known  that  there  were  many  in  the  community  who, 
while  true  to  their  section  in  every  fibre  of  their  being,  had  heretofore  not  considered 
secession  as  the  method  by  which  the  State  should,  at  that  time,  endeavor  to  en- 
force her  rights.  Seated  upon  the  platform  was  a  man  whom  every  one  felt  to  be 
the  embodiment  of  conservatism  and  moderation  ;  a  man  beloved  for  the  stainless 
purity  of  his  life,  respected  for  the  vigor  and  soundness  of  his  judgment,  and  ad- 
mired for  his  attainments  as  an  orator  and  a  scholar.  Ripe  in  years,  in  honor,  and 
experience,  to  him  the  eyes  of  all  were  turned,  for  it  was  instinctively  felt  that  the 
presence  of  the  venerable  form  of  Judge  William  Law  in  that  assembly  was  not  for 
naught.  At  last  the  time  came  for  him  to  speak.  Introduced  by  Francis  S.  Bartow, 
he  came  to  the  front  of  the  platform,  his  white  hair  and  feeble  step  contrasting 
strangely  with  the  stamp  of  intense  purpose  in  every  lineament  of  his  face  and  the 
fire  of  his  eye.  In  few  words  he  sketched  the  wrongs  of  his  section,  and  the  un- 
availing effort  that  had  been  made  to  right  them,  and  then,  concluding:  "There- 
fore," he  said,  with  a  sweep  of  his  arm,  that  smote  upon  the  hearts  of  his  hearers 
like  the  grasp  of  a  hand  upon  the  strings  of  a  harp,  —  "therefore,  as  a  Southern 
man,  I  give  to  these  resolutions  my  absolute  and  unqualified  approval." 

The  effect  upon  the  meeting  was  electrical  ;  in  an  instant  every  man  was  on  his 
feet,  eveiy  hat  in  the  air,  while  a  great  shout  went  up  that  was  like  the  roar  of  a 
tornado.  Some  sprang  to  the  windows  crying  to  the  ci'owd  in  the  street,  "Judge 
Law  has  indorsed  the  resolutions  ;"  and  then  cheer  answered  to  cheer  from  those 
within  to  those  without,  until  exhaustion  alone  brought  cornparative  quiet.  The 
resolutions  were  carried  by  acclamation.  It  was  a  wonderful  scene,  soul-stirring 
to  all  who  took  part  in  it,  and  worthy  of  being  "placed  upon  record  as  part  of  the 
history  of  the  times. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  January,  1861,  the  convention  passed  the  Ordinance  of 
Secession,  and  Georgia  formally  resumed  her  full  rights  as  a  sovereign  State. 
From  that  time  forward  Savannah  began  to  put  on  the  appearance  of  a  garrison 
town.  As  the  winter  months  slipped  away  and  spring  advanced,  the  Confederate 
States  were  formed  from  the  several  seceded  States,  and  war  began  to  be  looked 
upon  as  a  certain  thing.    Military  commands  fron^  all  parts  of  the  State  flooded  to 


HISTORIC  AND    PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


199 


Savannah,  and  encamped  in  the  suburbs.  The  streets  were  filled  with  men  in 
uniform  (most  of  it  of  rather  a  hybrid  and  indefinite  character),  orderlies  galloped 
here  and  there,  earthworks  were  thrown  up  at  outlying  points,  and  from  all  of  the 
armories  and  drill-rooms  the  hum  of  preparation  was  incessant.  Yet,  side  by  side 
with  this  new  order  of  things,  commercial  affairs  continued  for  a  time  with  singular 
vigor ;  the  steamship  lines  between  Northern  ports  and  Savannah  still  made  their 
semiweekly  trips,  but  in  coming  South  duty  was  exacted  on  all  cargoes  and  in- 
voices of  dry-goods,  ironware,  "notions,"  etc.  Vessels  from  Boston,  New  York, 
or  Philadelphia 
paid  the  same 
golden  tribute 
to  the  Savannah 
Custom  House 
as  though  they 
had  been  loaded 
at  Liverpool, 
Bremen,  or 
Havre. 

In  the  nature 
of  things,  how- 
ever, this  could 
not    last  very 

long,  and  soon  the  last  of  the  steamships  left  our  port,  some  of  them  to  appear 
later  as  part  of  blockading  squadrons  off  the  Southern  coast. 

In  due  course  of  time  came  the  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter  and  the  gathering  of 
the  armies  of  the  North  and  South  upon  the  great  battlefield,  —  Virginia. 

The  Oglethorpe  Light  Infantry,  under  command  of  that  noble  gentleman,  Cap- 
tain Francis  S.  Bartow,  was  the  first  of  the  Savannah  companies  to  respond  to  the 
call  of  President  Davis  for  troops.  They  started  for  Richmond,  one  hundred  and  six 
strong,  on  the  twenty-first  of  May,  1861,  and  their  departure  was  made  the  occasion 
of  a  great  ovation.  It  was  a  gallant  body  of  high-spirited  young  men,  worthy  of 
the  honor  that  was  conferred  upon  them  ;  but,  although  thousands  of  equally  brave 
men  followed  on  the  same  road,  the  departure  and  movement  of  troops  soon  became 
so  much  of  an  every-day  affair  as  to  attract  little  attention  save  from  the  individual 
hearts  that  were  left  desolate.    Meantime,  the  war  progressed,  the  blockade  of  the 


FORT    PULASKI    AFTER    THE  BOMBARDMENT. 


200 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


ports  was  established,  and  Savannah,  in  common  with  her  sister  cities,  was  cut  off 
fi'om  all  communication  with  the  outer  world,  except  when,  occasionally,  a  daring 
sailor  would  slip  through  the  Northern  fleet  and  make  his  way  into  harbor.  After 
the  fall  of  Fort  Pulaski,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  the  Savannah  river  was  in  possession 
of  the  Federal  troops  up  to  a  point  a  little  below  Fort  Oglethorpe,  while  their 
cruisers  entered  freely  into  the  inlets  and  rivers  emptying  into  Warsaw  and  Ossabaw 
sounds.  This  proximity  of  the  Federals  was  at  first  somewhat  alarming  to  the 
timid ;  but  the  people  became  accustomed  to  it  in  time,  and  would  listen  to  a  distant 
cannonading  with  no  other  emotion  than  that  of  cui'iosity.  The  opening  of  the 
morning  newspaper  became  the  event  of  the  day.  The  telegrai)hic  columns  told  of 
little  else  save  the  movements  of  armies  and  the  details  of  battles.  With  what 
alternating  hope  and  despair  those  who  patiently  waited  at  home  pored  over  those 
dingy  sheets  !  Those  of  whom  they  read  were  not  soldiers  in  the  abstract,  but  hus- 
bands, fathers,  brothers.  And  oh,  those  cruel  lists  of  killed  and  wounded  !  Who, 
in  these  peaceful  days,  can  estimate  the  agonized  dread  with  which  they  were 
scanned  by  loving  eyes? 

But  the  women  of  Savannah  did  something  more  than  simply  wait  in  those  dark 
days.  In  the  earlier  part  of  the  war  their  busy  hands  found  ample  occupation  in 
helping  to  prepare  the  soldiers  for  the  field.  Not  their  own  soldiers  only,  but  any 
who  wore  the  gray.  They  formed  themselves  into  clubs  and  sewing  circles  with 
this  end  in  view.  They  brought  from  their  own  stores  materials  for  warm  clothing. 
They  stripped  their  floors  of  carpeting  that  the  soldier  might  have  a  blanket.  They 
thought  no  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort  too  great  to  make  for  the  men  who  were 
defending  them  in  the  field  ;  no  labor  too  heavy  that  was  called  for  by  the  exigencies 
of  the  times. 

Later,  when  the  steady  stream  of  sick  and  wounded  men  set  in  from  the  battle- 
fields of  Virginia  and  the  West,  and  the  hospitals  were  filled  to  their  utmost 
capacity,  there  was  broader  scope  for  woman's  work ;  and  how  the  women  of 
Savannah  rose  to  the  demand  that  was  made  upon  them  is  something  for  which  her 
people  have  reason  to  thank  God.  They  nursed  the  wounded  with  tender  sym- 
pathy ;  they  soothed  the  last  hours  of  the  dying ;  they  brightened  the  days  of 
convalescence,  and  sent  the  restored  soldier  back  to  his  command  with  a  sense  of 
being  cared  for,  that  nerved  his  arm  and  imparted  fresh  courage  to  his  heart.  A 
distinctive  featiwe  of  the  time  was  the  constant  passage  of  soldiers  through  the  city, 
travelling  between  their  homes  and  the  various  armies.    Most  of  these,  if  not  all, 


HISTOEKJ  AND    I'IGTLIRESQUE  SAVANNAH 


201 


were  entirely  without  means  to  pay  hotel  bills,  and  but  for  a  system  of  lodging- 
places  that  were  organized  all  over  the  South,  called  "  Wayside  Homes,"  much 
suffering  would  have  resulted. 

Savannah  did  her  share  in  this,  too,  and  every  wearer  of  the  gray  who  could 
show  that  he  was  absent  from  his  command  by  proper  authority,  was  made  welcome 
by  the  ladies  to  a  good  supper  and  breakfast  and  a  comfortable  night's  lodging. 

As  the  war  continued  and  the  I)lockade  of  the  Southern  ports  became  closer, 
the  privations  of  the  people  rapidly  increased.  In  the  early  days  of  hostilities 
there  had  been  too  lavish  use  of  the  supplies  on  hand,  the  result,  probably,  of  a 
desire  to  minister  with  the  utmost  freedom  to  the  comfort  of  the  soldier  in  the 
field,  and  of  a  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  the  South  would  be  so  e^'ectually 
cut  oft' from  all  outside  sources  of  supply.  > 

Soon  there  was  absolute  disappearance  of  all  luxuries.  Then,  articles  that  had 
usually  been  considered  among  the  necessaries  of  life  began  to  be  looked  upon  as 
the  greatest  of  luxuries,  to  be  purchased  only  by  the  rich,  and  by  them  but  in  small 
quantity.  Coftee,  sugar,  tea,  and  flour  were  no  longer  to  be  found  in  the  open 
market.  Corn  meal  took  the  place  of  flour,  and,  with  bacon,  formed  the  staple  arti- 
cles of  food  for  every  family  in  the  city.  A  "  long  sweetening,"  made  from  the  juice 
of  sorghum  cane,  usurped  the  place  of  sugar,  while  for  coffee  and  tea  there  were  vil- 
lanous  substitutes  without  number:  parched  corn,  parched  rye,  parched  potatoes, 
etc.,  did  duty  for  the  fragrant  berry  of  Java,  supplemented  occasionally  by  a  little 
chiccory  that  slipped  in  through  the  blockade,  and  concerning  which  some  enter- 
prising tradesman  declared  in  his  advertisement,  "  All  the  nobility  of  England  use 
chiccory  in  their  coftee."  The  leaves  of  the  sassafras  and  blackberry  did  very  little 
either  to  "  cheer  "  or  "  inebriate  "  the  lovers  of  Oolong  and  Souchong ;  but  it  was  all 
they  had,  and  they  made  the  best  of  it. 

Medicines  of  all  kind  became  scarce;  indeed,  everything  was  scarce.  Most  of 
the  stores  were  closed,  and  the  stock  in  the  few  that  remained  open  assumed  the 
varied  character  found  in  the  little  establishments  on  country  cross-roads.  On  Bay 
street  —  that  busy  mart  of  commerce  in  peaceful  times  —  all  trade  was  virtually  at  a 
standstill.  Counting-room  after  counting-room  was  closed  as  a  place  of  business,* 
and  the  street  became  the  headquarters  of  the  various  departments  of  the  military 
district, — quartermaster,  commissary,  ordnance,  and  medical.  Clothing  of  all  kinds 
was  hard  to  get.  Old  garments  were  made  over  and  recast  again  and  again,  and 
often  (especially  by  the  ladies)  the  I'emnants  of  two  or  more  suits  were  pieced 


202 


HISTORIC  AND   FICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


together  to  make  one  new  one,  the  result  beuig  more  creditable  to  the  skill  of  the 
fair  wearers  than  remarkable  for  grace  or  beauty. 

In  the  hiter  years  of  the  war  all  of  the  softer  and  finer  textile  fabrics  disap- 
peared, and  the  people  were  supplied  by  coarser,  rougher  materials  of  domestic  man- 
ufacture. As  for  fashion,  the  less  that  is  said  of  that  the  better.  Every  woman 
was  a  law  unto  herself,  dressing  according  to  her  own  sweet  will,  having  regard  only 
to  the  amount  of  material  at  her  command.  To  one  thing,  however,  they  all  clung, 
—  the  bonnet.  At  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  that  article  of  head-gear  was  of- 
fearful  pioportions,  having  somewhat  the  general  shape  and  outline  of  an  old-fash- 
ioned gig-top.  In  1861,  this  was  supposed  to  be  the  height  of  style,  and  through 
all  the  vicissitudes  of  four  years  of  war  the  ladies  of  Savannah  held  fast  to  it.  It 
was  the  one  thing  that  united  them  with  the  outer  world,  and  helped  them  to  retain 
that  happy  consciousness  of  being  d  la  mode,  so  dear  to  the  feminine  heart.  But 
alas,  there  was  a  day  of  awakening,  when,  after  the  entrance  of  Sherman's  army 
into  the  city,  there  came  a  multitude  of  ladies  from  the  North  to  meet  their 
kindred.  They  were  faultlessly  arrayed  in  silks,  in  soft  woollen  fabrics,  in  the 
thousand  and  one  products  of  Northern  and  foreign  looms.  All  this  was  forgiven  ; 
but  the  women  of  Savannah  could  not  forgive  a  dainty  little  bonnet  about  as  large 
as  the  palm  of  the  hand,  that  graced  each  Northern  head.  This  emphasized  their 
own  isolation  and  lack  of  style  with  too  cruel  keenness ;  and  so  each  Southern 
woman  took  refuge  in  patriotism,  and  sailed  defiantly  by  the  visitors  from  New 
York,  and  Boston,  and  Chicago,  with  head  erect  and  nose  in  the  air,  in  a  manner 
that  elicited  from  the  latter  an  expression  of  wonder  that  there  could  be  "  such 
pride  in  such  bonnets." 

In  common  with  the  citizens  of  the  entire  Confederacy,  the  people  of  Savannah 
learned  in  these  sad  days  how  little  is  really  necessary  for  the  support  of  life  in  a 
tolerable  degree  of  comfort.  Had  the  change  been  sudden,  it  would,  doubtless, 
have  been  harder  to  bear,  but  it  came  little  by  little  ;  first  one  thing  was  given  up, 
and  then  another  and  another,  until  at  the  last  it  did  seem  as  though  privation 
had  not  many  deeper  depths;  Yet,  somehow,  the  people  lived,  and  the  wonder  of 
it  is  enhanced,  when  it  is  remembered  that  side  by  side  with  the  failure  of  supplies 
was  the  rapid  decline  in  the  value  of  Confederate  currency ;  the  purchasing  power 
of  a  dollar  was  always  less  on  one  day  than  it  had  been  the  day  before.  There  was 
a  standing  joke  of  the  time  that  a  householder  in  going  to  market  needed  a  basket 
in  which  to  carry  his  money,  while  one  hand  sufficed  to  bring  back  his  purchases. 


HISTORIC  AND 


riCTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


203 


A  noteworthy  feature  of  the  time  was  the  absence  of  all  men  except  the  very 
young  or  those  who  had  long  passed  middle  life.  The  manhood  of  the  city  was 
"at  the  front."  Services  were  regularly  kept  up  in  the  various  churches,  but  the 
congregations  were  for  the  most  part  made  up  of  women,  old  men,  and  children  ; 
and  towards  the  end,  the  prevalence  of  the  garb  of  mourning  told  too  plainly  of 
the  desolation  that  war  had  brought  to  almost  every  family  in  the  community. 
The  fall  of  Atlanta,  in  the  autumn  of  1864,  followed  by  Sherman's  "  March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  his  occupation  of  Savannah  on  the  twenty-third  of  December  of  that 
year,  destroyed  all  prospect  of  success  for  the  Confederate  arms;  still,  the  people 
hoped  on,  looking  for  some  deliverance  to  come  from  they  knew  not  where  or 
how.  The  very  fact  that  the  city  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Federal  troops  made 
every  Savannahian  the  more  confirmed  in  his  loyalty  to  the  Confederacy,  and  the 
more  determined  to  be  true  in  thought,  word,  and  deed  to  what  was  expected  of 
him.  As  long  as  there  was  a  vestige  left  of  the  Cause  to  which  Savannah  had 
pledged  herself,  her  people  were  faithful  to  it.  And  when,  yielding  to  the  inevi- 
table, they  accepted  their  defeat,  and  renewed  their  obligations  to  the  Government 
of  the  United  States,  it  was  with  no  reserve,  but  in  simple  honesty  and  good  faith. 
In  the  early  summer  of  1865  the  writer  returned  to  Savannah,  following  the  tracks 
of  Sherman's  march  down  the  line  of  the  Central  Railroad.  Of  that  great  artery 
of  commerce  there  was  little  left  save  the  road-bed;  the  country  on  every  hand 
was  desolate,  bridges  had  been  torn  up,  fences  destroyed,  homes  and  barns 
burned,  horses  and  cattle  carried  away ;  the  fields  were  grown  up  in  grass  and 
weeds,  the  people  were  listless  and  despairing.  Entering  the  city,  there  were 
fewer  traces  of  actual  destruction,  but  it  was  like  a  dead  town.  There  was  some 
spasmodic  attempt  to  revive  business  on  the  Bay,  principally  in  connection  with 
the  hunting  out  and  forwarding  of  cotton  that  had  been  hidden  away  in  difi'erent 
parts  of  the  country.  A  few  grocery  stores  were  open,  and  there  was  some  little 
activity  on  the  water-front.  But  the  people  seemed  in  a  dazed  condition  ;  there 
was  an  aimlessness  about  their  movements  that  declared  only  too  plainly  how 
difficult  it  was  for  them  to  settle  down  into  the  new  order  of  things.  Every  day 
a  number  of  young  men  gathered  in  front  of  the  Pulaski  House  for  mutual  comfort. 
They  all  wore  the  gray,  some  with  the  red  facings  of  the  artillery,  some  with  the 
blue  of  the  infantry,  and  others,  again,  with  the  orange  cuffs  and  collars  that  told 
of  many  a  dashing  ride  with  Stuart  and  Hampton.  vThe  interchange  of  experi- 
ences, and  the  telling  of  stirring  feats  of  arms  in  which  they  had  all  been  participants, 


204 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


helped  to  pass  away  many  a  long  hour  for  these  poor  fellows,  who  were  without 
occupation  and  without  any  immediate  prospect  of  securing  it.  But  this  assem- 
bling of  so  many  Confederate  uniforms  did  not  find  favor  with  the  Federal  ofiicer 
in  command,  and  an  order  was  issued  forbidding  the  wearing  of  uniforms.  This 
was  the  occasion  of  much  consternation,  for,  as  was  pointed  out  to  the  General, 
if  they  were  not  worn  there  was  "nothing  else  for  the  boys  to  put  on."  The  order 
was  rescinded,  therefore,  but  with  the  proviso  that  the  Confederate  button  should 
be  covered  or  removed.  Accordingly,  on  the  following  day  each  hero  appeared  in 
the  gray,  as  usual,  but  with  every  button  wrapped  en  cr6pe.  And  here,  with  this 
little  touch  of  humor,  a  sure  sign  of  reviving  spirits,  this  sketch  of  a  most  inter- 
esting period  in  the  city's  history  may  be  brought  to  a  close.  Depression  lasted 
but  for  a  short  time  :  the  people  took  up  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  waste  places 
and  of  restoring  broken  fortunes  with  a  heartiness  and  energy  that  could  have 
but  one  result.  Savannah,  with  no  useless  wailings  over  the  past,  entered  upon  the 
career  which  has  made  her  what  she  is  to-day,  the  pride  of  Georgia,  and  an  un- 
portant  factor  in  the  great  commercial  transaction  of  the  entire  country.^: 

C.  H.  O. 

MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS  OF  SAVANNAH. 

Military  ideas  have  had  a  vigorous  hold  upon  the  citizens  of  Savannah  from 
the  days  of  Oglethorpe,  when  the  Georgia  colony  became  a  wedge  between  oppos- 
ing powers,  to  the  present  day,  when  peaceful  avocations  rule. 

The  "  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards  "  is  the  oldest  infantry  corps  in  Georgia.  Or- 
ganized early  in  1802,  its  first  parade  was  held  on  the  first  of  May,  1802  ;  for  that 
reason  it  has  since  adopted  and  observed  that  day  as  its  anniversary.  The  first 
parade  was  formed  on  the  east  side  of  Bull  street,  in  front  of  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  bookstore  of  Davis  Brothers.  On  the  twentieth  of  May,  1802,  the  corps 
took  part  in  the  reception  extended  to  Aaron  Burr. 

Doctor  John  Cumming  was  the  first  captain  of  the  Guards.  He  was  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Savannah  at  that  time,  and 
president  of  the  Branch  Banlv  of  the  United  States.  He  also  assisted  m  organiz- 
ing the  Hibernian  Society,  of  which  he  was  the  first  president.  Lost  at  sea  in  the 
ill-fated  steamer  "  Pulaski,"  on  a  trip  from  Savannah  to  Baltimore,  funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  in  honor  of  his  memory  in  Savannah,  the  Guards  firing  the 
customary  "  three  rounds." 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


205 


During  Captain  Marsiiall's  command  the  war  with  Great  Britain  began.  The 
Guards,  and  other  companies  of  Savannah,  were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  for  local  defence.  After  the  death  of  Captain  Marshall,  and  up 
to  the  time  of  her  own  death,  his  widow  was  the  devoted  friend  and  patroness 
of  the  corps,  which  frequently  enjoyed  her  gracious  hospitality  in  the  family 
residence  on  West  Broad  street.  To  the  corps  Mrs.  Marshall  presented  the  mao-- 
nificent  stand  of  battalion  colors  it  now  carries. 

The  second  uniform  adopted  by  the  corps  was  blue,  trimmed  and  slashed 
with  scarlet,  with  a  full  scarlet  front,  similar  to  the  uniform  of  the  French  gens  d'arme. 
This  led  to  a  pleasing- 
incident  upon  the  occa- 
sion of  Lafayette's  visit 
to  Savannah,  in  1825. 
General  Lafayette 
landed  at  the  foot  of 
East  Broad  street,  and 
the  troops  were  placed 
in  position  on  the 
green,  their  right  on 
East  Bay.  The  dis- 
tinguished guest  passed 
down  the  line,  when, 
upon  reaching  the 
Guards,  affected  by  the 
sight  of  the  familiar  uniform,  or  attracted  by  their  fine  appearance,  he  threw  up 
both  hands,  and,  with  sparkling  eyes,  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  quels  beaux  soldats,  qtiels 
beaux  soldats  !  " 

Under  the  command  of  Captain  John  Screven,  the  company  became  pos- 
sessed of  an  armory.  The  Unitarian  church,  which  had  recently  figured  as 
the  Second  Baptist  Church,  underwent  another  metamorphosis,  and  appeared  as 
an  armory  for  the  corps.  During  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  General  Sher- 
man, in  the  winter  of  1864  and  1865,  the  armory  was  used  by  some  of  his 
troops  for  a  guard-house ;  through  carelessness  it  caught  tire  and  was  de- 
stroyed. Shortly  after  the  Guards  had  effected  a  permanent  battalion  organi- 
zation, they  were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  Confederate  States,  in  March 


206 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


of  1861.  From  this  time  till  the  close  of  the  war  theirs  was  an  honorable 
record. 

The  present  Lieutenant-Colonel,  William  Garrard,  elected  from  the  ranks, 
was  commissioned  on  the  twenty-third  of  December,  1882.  He  immediately 
addressed  himself  to  the  finances  of  the  corps,  conceiving  the  idea  that  the  prop- 
erty known  as  the  Old  State  Arsenal  might  be  obtained  from  the  State  for  an 
armory.  The  idea  was  acted  upon  with  the  result  that,  in  1886,  the  Guards  took 
possession  of  the  new  and  commodious  armory  on  President  and  Whitaker  streets. 
For  eighty-six  years  the  Guards  have  held  a  continuous  record,  governed  by  the 
principles  embodied  in  their  preamble,  "to  cultivate  those  manly  virtues  which  are 
so  much  promoted  by  military  exercises  and  associations." 

During  the  first  half  of  the  present  century  the  volunteer  and  uniformed 
companies  of  the  city  formed  a  part  of  the  First  Regiment,  First  Brigade,  Georgia 

Militia,  and  paraded  on  stated  occasions  side 
by  side  with  the  "  unterrified,"  un-uniformed, 
undisciplined  companies  of  the  "Beats,"  as 
they  were  called.  These  organizations  were 
but  burlesques  upon  what  a  military  command  ought  to  be,  and  it  was  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  the  volunteers  became  restive  under  the  enforced  association. 
The  desirability  of  forming  a  battalion  exclusively  from  the  volunteers  was  most 
apparent.  Steps  were  taken  to  that  end,  and  on  January  twentieth,  1852,  a  bill 
was  approved  by  which  it  was  enacted  :  — 

"  I.  That  the  volunteer  companies  now  existing  in  the  city  of  Savannah, 
and  belonging  to  the  First  Regiment,  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Georgia  Militia, 
be  and  the  same  hereby  are  organized  and  erected  into  a  separate  battalion,  which 
shall  be  called  the  Independent  Volunteer  Battalion  of  Savannah,  and  be  no  longer 
a  part  of  the  said  First  Regiment. 

"II.  That  any  other  volunteer  companies  of  foot  which  may  hereafter  be 
organized  in  the  city  of  Savannah  shall  be  attached  to  the  said  battalion  until  the  num- 
ber of  the  said  companies  shall  be  eight,  when  the  said  companies  shall  be  organ- 
ized, and  erected  into  a  regiment  which  shall  be  called  the  Independent  Volunteer 
Regiment  of  Savannah,  and  the  said  regiment  shall  not  consist  of  less  than  eight 
or  more  than  fourteen  companies." 

Section  three  of  the  act  vested  the  command  of  the  Independent  Volunteer 
Battalion  in  a  lieutenant-colonel,  with  full  regimental  staff. 


HISTORIC  AND 


FICTURE8QUE 


HA  VANNAH 


207 


At  the  date  of  the  passage  of  the  above  act  the  following  were  the  volunteer 
companies  alfected  by  it,  and  which,  consequently,  formed  the 

INDEPENDENT    VOLUNTEER    BATTALION    OF  SAVANNAH. 

Chatham  Artillery,  Captain  John  B.  Gallic,  organized  May  first,  1786. 
Savannah  Volunteer  Guards,  Captain  Jas.  P.  Screven,  organized  1802. 
Republican  Blues,  Captain  John  W.  Anderson,  organized  1808. 
Phcenix  Riflemen,  Captain  W.  H.  C.  Mills,  organized  May  first,  1830. 
Irish  Jasper  Greens,  Captain  John  Devanney,  organized  February  twenty- 
second,  1843. 

German  Volunteers,  Captain   J.    H.    Stegin,  organized   February  twenty- 
second,  1846. 

De  Kalb  Riflemen,  Captain  John  Bilbo,  organized  1850. 

The  whole  was  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Alexander  R.  Lawton. 

On  January  eighth,  1886,  the  Oglethorpe  Light  Infantry  was  organized  under 
Captain  John  N,  Lewis,  completing  the  number  of  eight  companies  necessary  to  the 
regimental  formation,  and  the  battalion  became  the  Independent  Volunteer  Regiment 
of  Savannah,  without  further  legislation. 

On  December  twentieth,  1859,  the  act  of  January,  twentieth,  1852,  was 
amended  as  follows  :  — 

Section  I.  Be  it  enacted,  etc..  That  the  regiment  formed  under  the  second 
section  of  the  said  act  shall  be  known  as  "  The  First  Volunteer  Reijiment  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,"  and  may  embrace  as  many  infantry  corps  formed  in  the  said 
city  as  may  choose  to  conform  to  the  regimental  organization. 

Sect.  II.    Provided  for  full  Field  and  Staff". 

Sect.  III.  Provided  that  the  rights  and  privileges  accruing  to  the  said 
regiment  shall  not  fail  by  the  consolidation  of  two  or  more  companies,  but  the  same 
shall  rest  in  and  be  enjoyed  by  the  corps  composing  the  Volunteer  Regiment. 

Sect.  IV.  Withdrew  the  regiment  from  the  First  Brigade,  Georgia  Militia, 
and  placed  it  exclusively  under  the  command  of  its  own  officers. 

In  quoting  the  acts  and  amendment  above,  the  full  text  of  each  is  not  given, 
but  only  so  much  as  is  requisite  for  a  clear  understanding  of  the  corporate  begin- 
nings of  the  regiment. 

Under  the  new  organization  A.  R.  Law^ton  was  elected  and  commissioned  as 


208 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Colonel,  George  W.  Stiles  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  W.  S.  Rockwell  as  Major. 
Bulloch  Jackson  was  appointed  Adjutant,  John  Fraser,  Paymaster,  J.  D.  Fish,  Sur- 
geon, and  J.  W.  Johnston,  Assistant  Surgeon.  At  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  in 
1861,  the  field  and  staff  were  the  same,  with  this  exception,  C.  H.  Olmstead,  Adju- 
tant, vice  Jackson,  resigned. 

Among  the  earliest  orders  issued  from  Montgomery,  the  capital  of  the  Con- 
federacy, was  the  appointment  of  Colonel  Lawton  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship ;  his 
connection  with  the  First  Regiment  was  thus  severed.  The  vacancy  occasioned  by 
the  promotion  of  General  Lawton  was  filled  by  the  election  of  Hugh  W.  Mercer  to 
the  Colonelcy.  At  the  same  time  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stiles  resigned  in  order  to 
enter  service  with  the  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards,  of  which  corps  he  was  also  an 
otficer.  Major  W.  S.  Rockwell  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Charles  H. 
Olmstead,  Major,  Edward  Lawton  succeeding  to  the  Adjutancy. 

Colonel  Mercer  was  a  descendant  of  the  gallant  Hugh  ^Nlercer,  a  general  in  the 
armies  of  the  Revolution,  who  laid  down  his  life  in  the  battle  of  Princeton.  Like 
his  distinguished  ancestor.  Colonel  Mercer  possessed  in  a  niarked  degree  the 
qualities  that  endeared  him  to  all  who  were  thrown  in  contact  with  him.  A  gradu- 
ate of  West  Point  of  the  Class  of  1828,  the  soldierly  instincts  were  strong  within 
him  ;  united  with  them  were  a  chivalrous  and  dignified  courtesy  of  demeanor,  a  fund 
of  genial  humor,  and  a  ripe  scholarship  that  stamped  him  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school  in  the  highest,  best  acceptation  of  the  term. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Rockwell  was  a  lawyer  of  prominence  and  ability.  From 
early  manhood  he  had  been  identified  with  the  volunteer  service  of  Georgia,  and 
though  advanced  in  years  beyond  the  period  when  the  active  life  of  a  soldier  could 
have  been  expected  or  required  of  him,  the  call  to  arms  found  him  ready  and 
anxious  to  do  his  duty.  And  he  did  do  it  until,  in  the  summer  of  1864,  failing 
health  necessitated  his  retirement. 

The  name  of  Edward  Lawton  will  evoke  a  sigh  of  tender  regret  from  many  a 
heart  over  the  fresh  young  life  that  went  out  upon  the  bloody  field  of  Fredericks- 
burg. His  was  a  noble  character,  womanly  in  its  afiections,  knightly  in  its  impulses, 
honest  and  true  in  its  principles.    Alas  that  such  a  life  should  have  ended  so  soon  ! 

In  the  latter  part  of  1861,  changes  were  again  made  in  the  field-ofl5cers  of  the 
regiment.  C.  H.  Olmstead  was  made  Colonel,  W.  S.  Rockwell  retained  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonelcy, and  Captain  John  Foley,  of  the  Irish  Jasper  Greens,  was  pro- 
moted Major.     M.  H.  Hopkins  was    appointed  Adjutant,   vice  Edward  Lawton 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


209 


promoted.  It  was  during  the  command  of  the  above  field-officers  that  the  memo- 
rable siege  and  reduction  of  Fort  Pulaski  took  place  in  April  of  1862. 

In  October  of  1862,  the  regiment  was  reorganized  by  order  from  the  Confed- 
erate Department  Head(juarters,  in  conformity  to  the  requirements  of  actual  service, 
rather  than  with  reference  to  the  acts  of  original  incorporation.  The  following  com- 
panies were  then  made  the  First  Volunteer  Regiment  of  Georgia  :  — 

Co.  A  —  First  Company,  Irish  Jasper  Greens,  Captain  John  Flannery. 

Co.  E  —  Second  Company,  Irish  Jasper  Greens,  Captain  James  Dooner. 

Co.  C  —  Republican  Blues,  Captain  W.  D.  Dixon. 

Co.  D  —  City  Light  Guard,  Captain  S.  Yates  Levy. 

Co.  E  —  Irish  Volunteers,  Captain  John  F.  O'Neill. 

Co.  F  —  Coast  Rifles,  Captain  Screven  Turner. 

Co.  G  —  Tattnall  Guards,  Captain  A.  C.  Davenport. 

Co.  H  —  Second  Company,  Oglethorpe  Light  Infantry,  Captain  James  Lachlison. 

Co.  I  — German  Volunteers,  Captain  C.  Werner. 

Co.  K — Washington  Volunteers,  Captain  John  Cooper. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF. 


Colonel 

Lieutenant  -  Colonel 

Major  . 

Adjutant 

Quartermaster 

Commissary 

Surgeon 

Chaplain 


Charles  H.  Olmstead. 
W.  S.  Rockv^^ell. 
M.  J.  Ford. 
Matthew  H.  Hopkins. 
Edward  Hopkins. 
E.  W.  Drummond. 
W.  H.  Elliott. 
S.  Edward  Axson. 


non-commissioned  staff. 


Sergeant- Major  . 
Commissary  Sergeant . 
Quartermaster  Sergeant 
Ordnance  Sergeant 


F.  M.  Hull. 
W.  H.  Boyd. 
William  C.  Crawford. 
Thaddeus  F.  Bennett. 


During  the  winter.  Captain  Edward  Hopkins  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Cap- 
tain  F.  M.  Hull,  who  was  appointed  Quartermaster. 


210 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


It  is  impossible  to  follow  the  regiment  through  its  record  of  war  times,  con- 
tributing honorable  pages  to  the  annals  of  the  Confederacy,  from  the  first  gun  tired, 
to  the  surrender,  when  the  First  Georgia  carried  its  colors  and  its  organization  to 
the  city  of  Augusta,  where  its  services  ended,  and  its  officers  and  men  separated. 
To-day  the  members  of  the  Field  and  Staff  of  the  First  Volunteer  Regiment  are  the 
following-named  gentlemen  :  — 

Colonel      .....  Geo.  A.  Merckr. 

Lieutenant- Colonel      .       .       .  Peter  Reijlly, 
Major        .        .        .        .        .J.  ScHWARZ. 

Adjutant    ...       .       .       .  R.  G.  Gaillard. 

Quartermaster     .       .       .       .  M.  F.  O'Byrne. 

Commissary       ....  John  T.  Ronan. 

Judge  Advocate  .       .       .       .  S.  B.  Adams. 

Paymaster  .....  Otto  Vogel. 

Surgeon   W.  W.  Owens. 

With  the  following  organizations  :  — 

Savannah  Cadets,  organized  May  seventeenth,  18(n. 
Oglethorpe  Light  Infantry,  organized  January  eighth,  1856. 
Irish  Jasper  Greens,  organized  1842  ;  reorganized  1872. 
German  Volunteers,  organized  1846. 
Republican  Blues,  organized  1808. 
Savannah  Volunteer  Guards. 

FIELD  AND  STAFF. 

Lieutenant- Colonel      .       .       .  William  Garrard. 

Adjutant   William  W.  Williamson. 

Quartermaster     .       .       .       .  C.  F.  Prendergast. 

Judge  Advocate  .       .       .       .  R.  R.  Richards. 

Commissary  and  Treasurer  .       .  J.  M.  Bryan. 

Surgeon   J.  P.  S.  Houstotjn. 

Sergeant-Major  .       .       .       .  H.  P.  Black. 

Quartermaster     ....  John  F.  Kollock. 

Chatham  Artillery,  organized  May  first,  1786. 
Georgia  Hussars,  organized  1885. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


HISTORIC  Savannah  belongs  to  a  past  generation.    We  have  stepped  within 
the  portal  of  the  present.    Let  us  pursue  our  steps  still  farther,  and  survey 
in  a  brief  glance  the  record  of  modern  Savannah  before  our  last  page  is  turned. 

The  transmuting  touch  of  years  surrounds  the  bare-faced  facts  of  daily  life  of 
village  or  of  city,  of  country  or  of  empire,  with  an  impalpable,  golden  glamor, 
unperceived,  save  through  a  vista  of  fifty  years,  the  claim  of  history  proper.  With- 
out the  perspective  of  that  distance,  events  group  themselves  in  stiff  fashion,  aware 
of  glaring  defects,  unsoftened  by  some  interposing  medium  between  themselves  and 
curious  spectators,  as  actors  in  the  glare  of  a  mid-day  rehearsal,  clad  in  ordinary 
garb,  unwigged,  unpowdered,  remain  in  awkward  consciousness  of  the  incongruity 
of  their  surroundings,  with  spoken,  burning  passion. 

Make  due  allowance  for  the  lack  of  atmosphere,  and  pass  in  review  the  events 
of  the  generation  that  brings  Savannah  to  her  present  eminence. 

The  public-school  system  of  Savannah,  which  ranks  favorably  with  others  many 
years  its  senior,  was  established  by  an  act  af  the  State  Legislature  on  the  twenty-first 
of  March,  1866.  By  this  act  the  education  of  white  children  between  the  ages 
of  six  and  eighteen  years,  came  under  the  "direction,  management,  and  superintend- 
ence of  the  Board  of  Public  Education  for  the  City  of  Savannah,"  then  established. 
On  the  eighteenth  of  December,  1866,  an  act  was  passed  to  amend  the  former,  by 
which  the  authority  and  powers  of  the  "  Board  of  Public  Education  "  were  extended 
over  the  county  of  Chatham,  as  well  as  the  city  of  Savannah. 

The  amendment  to  the  charter  was  enacted  by  the  Chatham  Superior  Court  on 
December  second,  1878,  by  which  the  education  of  colored  children  between  the  ages 
of  six  and  eighteen  years  was  placed  under  the  "  direction,  management,  and  super- 
intendence of  the  Board  of  Public  Education  for  the  City  of  Savannah  and  the  County 
of  Chatham." 

The  past  year,  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eight  pupils  were  enrolled  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  city.    Ten  city  and  two  county  schools,  of  which  Mr.  W. 

(211) 


212 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


H.  Baker  is  superintendent,  are  under  the  charge  of  the  Board  of  Education.  Two 
Eoman  Catholic  schools  are  included  within  this  number,  the  Cathedral  and  St. 
Patrick's.  The  system  works  well,  and  gives  entire  satisfaction.  The  corps  of 
instructors  employed  by  the  Board,  beginning  with  thirteen  in  the  first  year  of  the 
organization  of  the  schools,  has  reached  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  six.  The 
Board  of  Education  is  composed  of  the  following-named  gentlemen  :  — 

Geo.  a.  Merger  ......  President. 

J.  B.  Rkad,  M.D.  ......  Vice-President. 

John  A.  Douglass,  William  Hunter, 

J.  R.  Saussy,  S.  Y.  Levy,^ 

Henry  Blun,  William  Duncan,  M.D., 

eT.  H.  Estill. 

Massie  School  Commissioners. 
R.  E.  Lester,  R.  D.  Walker, 

J.  R.  F.  Tattnall. 
William  Harden  ......  Treasurer. 

W.  H.  Baker       ......  Secretary. 

In  1867,  the  old  Wesley  Chapel  on  South  Bi'oad  street  was  fast  decaying.  It 
therefore  was  sold,  and  with  the  proceeds  was  purchased  the  beautiful  lot  on  which 
stood  the  small  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  familiarly  known  as  the  "Tea-cup  Church." 
This  building  had  had  a  varied  experierice  during  the  war.  Used  by  the  Confed- 
erates as  a  cartridge  factory,  it  was  well  sacked  and  rifled  when  General  Sher- 
man's army  took  possession  of  the  city.  Bought  by  the  Methodists,  it  was  fitted  up 
and  used  as  a  house  of  worship  for  nearly  eleven  years.  During  that  time  the 
membership  increased  sufficiently  to  make  a  larger,  more  commodious  building  a 
necessity. 

The  corner-stone  of  Wesley  Monumental  Church  was  laid  by  the  late  Doctor 
Lovick  Pierce,  at  the  time  the  oldest  effective  itinerant  preacher  in  the  world. 
This  church  has  more  than  a  local  interest.  Erected  as  a  monument  to  the  world- 
renowned  John  Wesley,  from  the  united  contributions  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists 
throughout  America,  England,  and  Canada,  when  finished  it  will  be  one  of  the  most 
commodious  and  beautiful  churches  of  the  South.  The  church  is  now  far  advanced 
in  its  construction,  and  workmen  are  daily  pushing  it  to  completion.    Reverend  A. 


'Deceased. 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


213 


M.  Wynn,  the  pastor  in  charge  since  1874,  has  been  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  complete 
this  worthy  memorial.  May  the  day  not  be  far  distant  when  he  will  see  his  work 
crowned  with  success,  the  fair  proportions  of  "  Wesley  Monumental  "  proving-  an 
honor  to  the  city  and  a  blessing  to  its  denomination  ! 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1869,  seven  ladies,  by  name  Mrs.  George  W.  Wylly, 
Mrs.  Kollock,  Mrs.  L.  J.  Rosenfeld,  Mrs.  Thomas  Pui-se,  Mrs.  Robert  Mclntire, 
Mrs.  Alexander  Campbell,  Mrs.  Luke  Cannon,  moved  by  a  charitable  impulse,  pe- 
titioned the  Superior  Court  to  grant  them  a  charter  for  an  institution  to  be  called 
"The  Refuge  of  the  Homeless."  Not  until  the  first  of  February,  1875,  however, 
did  the  society  become  thoroughly  organized,  with  the  name  changed  to  that  of  the 
"Industrial  Relief  Society  and  Home  for  the  Friendless." 

The  object  of  this  society  is  to  assist  the  destitute  and  ignorant  by  giving  them 
free  instruction  in  industrial  pursuits,  to  afford  women  and  girls  a  temporary  home, 
fitting  its  beneficiaries  chiefly  for  domestic  occupation  in  families.  Its  secondary 
object  is  the  discreet  aid  given  to  that  class  of  the  })oor  who  live  in  their  own  homes, 
but  by  reason  of  untoward  circumstances  are  forced  to  invoke  aid. 

The  society,  which  to-day  dispenses  its  charities  in  the  building  owned  by  the 
society,  on  the  south-west  corner  of  Charlton  and  Drayton  streets,  has  steadily  ex- 
tended the  circle  of  its  benevolence,  until  it  ranks  among  the  most  praiseworthy 
institutions  of  the  city.    Its  present  managers  are  :  — 

Mrs.  N.  Lovell     .  .  .  President. 

Mrs.  O.  Cohen       .  .  .  First  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  Julia  McLeod  .  .  Second  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  Ellen  Screven  .  .  Secretary. 


Mrs.  T.  Screven, 

Mrs. 

C. 

L.  Gilbert, 

Mrs. 

W.  DUPONT, 

Mrs.  R.  p.  Myers, 

Mrs. 

J. 

J.  Wilder, 

Mrs. 

T.  Wayne, 

Mrs.  G.  M.  Sorrel, 

Mrs. 

E. 

M.  Green, 

Mrs. 

H.  Taylor, 

Mrs.  J.  Ferst, 

Mrs. 

C. 

M.  HOLST, 

Mrs. 

P.  M.  Dougan, 

Mrs.  a.  E.  Moynelo, 

Mrs. 

H. 

R.  Jackson, 

Mrs. 

J.  Nisbet, 

Mrs.  Beirne  Gordon, 

Mrs. 

W 

.  W.  Mackall, 

Mrs. 

Habersham, 

Mrs.  S.  Einstein, 

Mrs. 

F. 

DU  BiGNON, 

Mrs. 

R.  E.  Lester. 

Miss  Susie 

Pelot  . 

Matron. 

Dr.  R.  p. 

Myers  . 

Atteyiding  Physician. 

Mr.  p.  M. 

DOUGAN 

Treasurer. 

214 


EISTOIUC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  news  of  the  death  of  General  R.  E.  Lee,  on  the  twelfth  of  October,  1870, 
m  Lexington,  Virginia,  reached  Savannah  at  half-past  eight  o'cloick  of  that  evening, 
spreading  with  rapidity  through  the  community.    At  several  places  of  amusement 
the  sad  event  was  announced,  the  performances  were  discontinued,  and  the  people 
returned  in  silence  to  their  homes,  to  mourn  the  loss  of  that 
chieftain  best  beloved  of  Southern  hearts. 

Savannah  saw  the  tirst  service  of  Robert  E.  Lee,  the  young 
lieutenant  of  Engineers,  upon  his  graduation  at  West  Point 
there  he  contracted  friendships  that  were  cherished  through 
life.  Again,  in  November  of  1861,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Southern  coast  defences.  General  Lee  visited  Savannah  and 
remained  until  the  following  February.  His  third  and  last 
visit  was  paid  in  April  of  1870,  in  a  fruitless  search  for  health. 
It  was  a  visit  fraught  with  deep  interest  to  the  people  of 
Savannah.  Public  demonstrations  were  avoided.  As  a  private 
citizen,  General  Lee  appeared  in  Savannah,  but  the  feeling  of 
the  people  could  not  be  restrained  ;  they  arose,  an  unorganized 
mass,  to  welcome  him  and  give  him  a  spontaneous  reception. 

The  words  of  the  poet-priest,  Father  Ryan,  breathe  a  spirit 
appropriate  to  the  occasion  :  — 

"  A  land  without  ruins  is  a  land  without  memories ;  a  land 
without  memories  is  a  land  without  liberty  ;  a  land  that  wears  a 
laurel  crown  may  be  fair  to  see,  but  twine  a  few  sad  cypress 
leaves  around  the  brow  of  any  land,  and  1)6  that  land  beauteous 
or  bleak,  it  becomes  lovely  in  its  consecrated  coronet  of  sorrow, 
and  wins  the  sympathy  of  the  heai't  and  of  history. 

"Crowns  of  roses  fade,  crowns  of  thorns  endure,  calvaries 
and  crucifixes  take  deepest  hold  of  humanity." 
The  winter  of  1879,  Savannah  was  visited  by  General  U.  S.  Grant,  the  third 
ex-President  of  the  United  States  welcomed  within  her  borders. 

In  April  of  1883,  the  presidential  chair  again  honored  Savannah,  Chester  A. 
Arthur  being  the  first  President  of  the  United  States  entertained  as  a  private  guest 
in  Savannah.  The  hospitalities  of  the  home  of  his  relative,  Major  Henry  T.  Botts, 
were  extended  to  the  President.  This  house,  on  the  south-west  corner  of  Bull  and 
Gordon  streets,  is  now  the  elegant  mansion  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Weil. 


HISTORIC  AND   FK'TUREHQUE  SAVANNAH 


215 


On  February  twelfth,  1883,  the  city  of  Savannah  was  given  up  to  festivities 
in  commemoration  of  the  landing  of  Oglethorpe,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  be- 
fore.   This  celebration,  known  as  the  "Sesqui-Centennial,"  held  sway  for  two  days. 


THE    WEIL  MANSION. 


One  of  its  brilliant  features  was  an  elaborate  pageant  representing  the  landing 
of  Oglethorpe,  and  his  reception  by  the  Yamacraws.  Members  of  the  Ford 
Dramatic  Association  assumed  the  principal  roles,  and  to  their  credit  and  honor  was 
due  the  success  of  the  spirited  representation. 

The  celebration  drew  crowds  from  all  parts  of  the  State.    It  was  a  great  State 

holiday.  His  Excellency 
the  late  Alexander  H. 
Stephens  honored  the  city 
with  his  presence.  It  was  a  fiital  pleasure  to  him,  for  a  cold,  contracted  by  ex- 
posure and  fatigue,  seized  hold  upon  that  pain-wrecked  frame,  and,  upon  his  return 
to  Atlanta,  soon  laid  low  that  giant  intellect. 


216 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  ode,  written  at  the  request  of  the  Sesqui-Centennial  Committee  by  Paul 
Hayne,  tells,  in  tuneful  numbers,  the  story  of  Savannah's  settlement  and  advance- 
ment.   We  quote  the  opening  lines  :  — 

Man  clings,  we  know,  to  his  ancestral  clods; 
Yet,  are  there  those  who  tower  like  potent  gods 
Above  their  brethren,  on  whose  brows  the  sign 
Of  some  star-blazoned  splendor  burns  divine ! ' — 
In  whom  the  harshness  of  an  earthly  leaven 
Is  softened  by  the  mystic  balm  of  heaven ;  — 
Whose  epic  fates  thro'  broad,  deep  currents  roll, 
Urged  by  the  Impulse  of  a  steadfast  soul. 
Toward  some  grand  Purpose  and  beneficent  Goal ; 
Souls  with  a  large  look  southward,  and  benign, 
Their  lives  harmonious  held  in  golden  time 
With  Duty's  key-note  sounding  down  the  bars 
Of  the  high-ordered  music  of  the  stars ; 
Forever  open  to  the  liberal  noon 
Of  God,  of  Nature,  of  Humanity !  — 

Ah,  such  was  He 
In  whose  wise  mind  the  seed 
Of  a  great  Thought  lay  ripening  into  Deed, 
Slowly  developed  thro'  long  toilful  years. 
Nurtured  by  blood  and  sanctified  by  tears. 
Clear  blood,  heroic  tears  that  left  no  trace 
Of  hopeless  anguish  on  the  Weeper's  face, 
Until  there  waved  from  changeful  hour  to  hour 
The  spotless  petals  of  a  perfect  Flower ; 
Rife  with  all  beauty,  flushed  by  power  and  health. 
This  Rose  of  States,  our  Georgian  Commonwealth. 

On  the  last  day  of  October,  188.3,  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  disastrous 
fire  broke  out  in  Yamacraw,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  eight  lives,  the  destruction 
of  over  three  hundred  houses,  arid  the  rendering  homeless  of  more  than  twelve 
hundred  people.  The  boundaries  of  the  fire  were  Joachim  street  on  the  south,  the 
canal  on  the  north  and  west,  and  West  Broad  street  on  the  east.  The  track  of  deso- 
lation was  not  so  extensive  as  in  1852,  when  nearly  the  whole  area  from  Harrison 
to  Pine  street,  and  from  West  Broad  to  Farm  street,  was  burned.  The  estimated 
loss  was  about  a  million  of  dollars. 

The  Yamacraw  fire  was  the  first  great  fire  in  the  city  since  that  of  January 
twenty-seventh,  1865,  when  Savannah  was  in  the  ])ossession  of  the  Federal  army 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


217 


under  General  Shernuin.  That  was  a  night  of  terror  to  the  inhabitants,  for  added 
to  the  horror  of  fire  was  the  fear  of  a  terrific  bombardment.  The  fire,  which  began 
in  a  stable  of  Mrs.  Ann  Morrell,  on  Zul)ly  street,  soon  reached  Broughton  street, 
where  stood  "Old  Granite  Hall,"  the  Confederate  arsenal,  filled  with  annnunition. 
Then  came  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  it.  Ex[)lodiiig 
cartridges,  cannon  and  musket  balls,  were  sent  flying  in  every  direction.  Frag- 


THE    COMER  MANSION. 


ments  of  shell  were  thrown  into  Johnson  square,  in  front  of  the  Pulaski  House. 
A  portion  of  one  passed  through  the  roof  of  a  residence  on  the  corner  of  Barnard 
and  Liberty  streets,  entering  the  bedroom  of  a  member  of  the  family,  who  barely 
escaped  serious  injury.    The  water-tank  in  the  reservoir-tower  was  pierced  by  a 


218  HISTORTC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

piece  of  a  shell.  The  freezing  atmosphere  soon  transformed  the  pouring  water 
into  icicles  which  incrusted  the  reservoir,  making  a  picture  of  marvellous  beaut}^ 
in  the  lurid  light  of  the  flames.  The  fire  raged  for  ten  hours,  with  a  loss  of 
over  one  hundred  buildings,  the  property  destroyed  being  valued  at  about  a 
million  of  dollars. 

The  first  week  of  May,  1886,  was  a  gala  season  for  Savannah,  when  the  Chatham 
Artillery  celebrated  the  completion  of  the  first  century  of  its  existence.  Visiting 
companies  from  all  parts  of  the  Union  took  part  in  the  contests  and  tournaments, 
and  enjoyed  the  lavish  hospitality  of  the  Chathams.  It  Avas  a  week  of  military 
pastime  and  of  high  carnival  for  the  citizens.  Serious  pursuits  were  for  the  moment 
put  aside;  all  joined  in  the  merry-makings.  Battles  were  fought  over  again,  the 
blue  and  the  gray  inaugurated  an  era  of  good-fellowship,  and  a  cloudless  heaven 
smiled  benignantly  upon  the  week  of  festivities.  Among  the  distinguished  guests 
whose  presence  contributed  a  large  share  to  the  enthusiasm  of  the  week's  pro- 
gramme were  Jefierson  Davis  and  his  daughter,  Miss  Varina  Davis,  dear  to 
Southern  hearts  as  the  "  Daughter  of  the  Confederacy,"  and  Honorable  John  E. 
Ward,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Davis  and  his  daughter  partook  of  the  hospitality 
of  Mr.  Comer,  in  his  home  on  the  corner  of  Bull  and  Taylor  streets. 

To  no  one  individual  does  Savannah  owe  a  larger  meed  of  gratitude  for  liberal 
benefactions  of  an  artistic,  literary,  and  ]>enevolent  character  than  to  Miss  Mary 
Telfair,  the  last  to  bear  the  name  in  a  long  line  of  distinguished  antecedents.  At 
times  the  world  sees  public  spirit  and  liberality  of  soul  become  the  bequeathal  of 
heredity,  as  much  as  the  name.  So  was  it  in  the  Telfair  family.  In  1786, 
Edward  Telfair  was  elected  governor  of  Georgia.  A  century  later,  on  Monday,  the 
third  of  May,  1886,  the  home  of  the  Telfair  family  in  Savannah  was  dedicated  and 
opened  as  "Telfair  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,"  the  act  of  his  daughter.  Miss 
Mary  Telfair,  who  died  on  June  second,  187.5.  To  the  Georgia  Historical  Society, 
in  trust,  she  gave  the  family  homestead,  with  her  books,  pictures,  and  statuary,  for 
a  perpetual  Art  and  Science  Academy.  The  will  was  contested,  but  the  bequest 
prevailed.  At  the  instance  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Georgia  Histoi'ical 
Society,  the  president,  General  Henry  R.  Jackson,  tendered  the  directorship  of  the 
new  academy  to  Carl  N.  Brandt,  M.A.,  the  present  curator.  The  opening  of  the 
Telfair  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  marks  an  era  in  Savannah.  This  institution, 
properly  managed,  developed,  and  utilized,  will  make  of  Savannah  the  art  centre  of 
the  South.    With  climatic  conditions  akin  to  those  of  Italy,  the  birthplace  of  the 


HISTOniC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


219 


£:reat  masters  of  the  brush,  and  an  inherent  love  of  the  beautiful  in  ;ill  Southerners, 
yet  there  are  few  Southern  artists.  Why?  Hitherto  they  have  been  without  the 
surroundings  to  develop  their  tastes,  only  isolated  ones  being  able  to  seek  the 
flourishing  art  centres  in  distant  cities.  Now  the  nucleus  of  an  art  school  is 
in  their  midst. 
Telfair  Academy 
has  the  means 
of  an  immense 
growth  w  i  t  h  i  n 
her  gi'asp,  and 
wisely  fostered 
and  carefully  di- 
rected, time  will 
ripen  the  art- 
germs  inherent 
in  the  Southern 
child  to  an  ac- 
tual outcome  of 
creative  work. 
May  the  day  not 
be  far  distant 
when  Telfair 
Academy  will 
recognize  the  art- 
work at  her  com- 
mand, and  so 
make  olorious  in 
the  annals  of  the 

city  for  generations  to  come  the  gift  of  that  noble  woman,  Mary  Telfair.  To  Mrs. 
Hodgson  and  Miss  Mary  Telfair,  unitedly,  are  due  the  bequests  to  the  Independent 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Savannah,  to  the  Union  Society,  the  Widows'  Society,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Augusta,  and  that  excellent  establishment  providing  for 
the  suffering  women  of  Savannah,  the  Telfair  Hospital.  This  tine  brick  building, 
with  its  beautifully  kept  grounds,  dominates  the  south-western  corner  of  New 
Houston  and  Drayton  streets. 


TELFAIR  ACADEMY. 


220 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


The  present  officers  and  managers  are  :  — 

President  ....     Mrs.  J.  F.  Gilmer. 
Secretary  ....     Mrs.  -John  Williamson. 
Treasurer  .       .       .       .     Mrs.  James  Kankin. 

Mrs.  Charles  Lamar,  Mrs.  Walter  Chisholm, 

Miss  Sallie  Owens,  Mrs.  R.  H.  McLeod, 

Mrs.  Saussy,  Mrs.  John  Hopkins, 

Mrs.  Thomas  Screven. 

The  earthquake  of  August,  1886,  that  shook  Charleston  to  its  depths  with  such 
terrifying  and  destructive  results,  was  felt  in  Savannah,  arousing  terror  and  dismay ; 
but  no  serious  damage  was  done. 

The  series  of  public  festivities  marking  the  eighties  was  continued  in 
February,  of  1888,  by  the  three  days' celebration  attendant  upon  the  unveiling  of 
the  Jasper  Monument,  in  Madison  square.  The  twenty-second  of  February  was  the 
opening  day.    The  President  of  the  United  States,  Grover  Cleveland,  with  the 

presidential  party,  honored  the 
occasion  by  a  drive  through 
the  city,  on  the  way  to  Jack- 
sonville. General  Gordon, 
(jovernor  of  the  State,  and 
his  stall'  were  among  the  city's 
guests.  Frowning  heavens  failed  to  dampen  the  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  took  place  on  the  first  day,  thus 
launching  the  city  on  a  three  days'  tide  of  carnival-making.  The  statue  commands 
the  admiration  of  the  citizens,  in  its  central  location,  erected  through  the  arduous 
efforts  of  the  Jasper  Monument  Association,  composed  of  the  following-named 
gentlemen:  John  Flannery,  P.  W.  Meldrim,  John  R.  Dillon,  John  T.  Ronan, 
J.  J.  McGowan,  J.  H.  Estill,  George  A.  Mercer,  W.  O.  Tilton,  Luke  Carson, 
John  Sci'even,  Jordan  F.  Brooks,  Jeremiah  Cronin,  J.  K.  Clarke.  Of  heroic 
size,  in  bronze,  Sergeant  Jasper  surmounts  the  pedestal,  holding  aloft  the  flag. 
The  monument  is  the  work  of  Mr.  Alexander  Doyle,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirty, 
has  executed  more  public  monuments  and  statues  in  the  United  States  than  any 


^^^^ 


* 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE   SAVANNAH  221 

other  sculptor,  and  he  is,  moreover,  the  designer  of  more  than  one-fifth  now 
standing  in  the  Union.  The  .subject  of  the  monument.  Sergeant  William  Jasper, 
bears  otf  the  laurel  for  a  brilliant  and  heroic  career.  Three  deeds,  each  alone 
sufficient  to  win  glory,  stand  recorded  to  this  man  in  the  common  walks  of  life, 
whose  touching  humility  was  illustrated  when  he  refused  a  commission  offered 
by  Governor  Routledge,  of  South  Carolina,  for  his  meritorious  act  before  the 
attack  on  Fort  Moultrie.  P'ar  better,  he  thought,  to  remain  in  the  humble  position 
of  sergeant,  than  betray  his  ignorance  in  a  higher  command.  His  first  heroic  act 
was  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  June,  1776,  when  the  British  attacked  Fort  Moultrie, 
on  Sullivan's  Island,  in  Charleston  harbor.  In  the  hottest  part  of  the  contest,  the 
staff,  from  which  waved  the  flag  above  the  fort,  was  shattered  by  a  cannon-ball, 
and  the  flag  falling  to  the  bottom  of  the  ditch  outside  the  works,  Jasper  cried  out 
to  Colonel  Moultrie,  "Don't  let  us  fight  without  a  flag.  Colonel  !"  and  leaping  from 
the  parapet  amid  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  he  caught  up  the  falling  colors,  nailed 
them  to  a  sponge-staft",  and 
held  them  dauntless  until  a 
staff  was  provided.  The  sec- 
ond deed  was  centred  al)out 
the  small  spring,  not  far  from 
the  present  corporate  limits  of 
Savannah,  which  until  within  a 
few  years  gurgled  and  bubbled 
with  refreshing  coolness  in  its 
woodland  seclusion,  unmindful 
of  the  tragedies  once  enacted 
there.    A  guard  of  British  sol- 

.     .  „  THE    GORDON  MANSION. 

diers,  consistmg  ot  a  sergeant, 

a  corporal,  and  eight  privates,  in  charge  of  several  handcuffed  American  prisoners, 
marching  along  the  dusty  highway  from  Augusta,  paused  near  the  spring  to  rest  and 
refresh  themselves  with  a  cooling  draught.  Muskets  were  stacked,  the  sentinels 
were  placed  over  the  prisoners,  while  the  rest,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  repaired  to 
the  spring  to  fill  their  canteens,  leaving  their  muskets  lying  carelessly  against  a 
tree.  Under  the  thick  underbrush  lay  two  men.  Sergeant  Jasper  and  his  com- 
panion. Sergeant  Newton.  They  spi-ang  from  their  place  of  concealment,  seized 
two  guns,  shot  the  sentinels,  and  forced  the  rest  of  the  guard  to  surrender.  The 


222  HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

irons  were  taken  off  the  rescued  prisoners,  and  the  whole  party,  according  to 
one  tradition,  including  the  wives  and  children  of  some  of  the  persons  who 
had  followed  the  guard,  joined  the  American  army  the  next  morning  at  Purys- 
burgh. 

Reader,  what  was  the  motive  of  this  act  of  Jasper?  A  simple  one,  indeed,  —  a 
woman's  tears.  A  wife's  distress  at  the  inevitable  fate  of  her  husband  (who,  an 
American,  having  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king,  deserted  and  was 
captured)  touched  the  tender,  manly  heart  of  Jasper.  In  conjunction  with  his 
friend,  Newton,  he  planned  and  carried  out  the  bold  capture,  not  for  self,  nor 
friend,  nor  cause.  May  all  women  let  fall  their  tears  for  this  sturdy  son  of  toil, 
with  whom  the  spring  of  a  noble  action  was  the  tear  from  a  woman's  eye. 
Familiar  is  the  third  and  crowning  act  of  Jasper's  brief  career,  when  he  yielded 
up  his  life's  l)lood  in  defence  of  his  colors,  on  the  parapet  of  Spring-hill  redoubt, 
in  the  memorable  siege  of  Savannah,  October  ninth,  1779. 

Literally  did  he  fulfil  the  vow  made  when  he  received  the  stand  of  colors  from 
Mrs.  Barnard  Elliott.  "  The  colors  you  have  presented  to  my  regiment,  the 
Second  South  Carolina,  I'll  keep  from  dishonor  with  my  life's  blood." 

Jasper's  grave  is  unknown,  like  those  of  his  brother  heroes,  Greene  and 
Pulaski.    Reserve  a  niche  in  the  national  gallery  for  Sergeant  William  Jasper.  \ 

On  the  thirtieth  of  January,  1888,  the  First  African  Baptist  Church  of  Savan- 
nah celebrated  the  first  century  of  its  existence.  Its  claim  to  be  the  first  l)ody  of 
Christians  wholly  of  the  negro  race  oi'ganized  in  this  country  is  Avell  authenticated, 
and  makes  the  history  of  the  church  of  marked  interest.  The  church  originated  at 
Brampton's  barn,  three  miles  south-west  of  Savannah,  on  January  thirtieth,  1788. 
Andrew  Bryan,  a  man  of  pure  negro  blood,  was  ordained  as  the  pastor  of  this 
new  organization,  by  Abraham  Marshall,  a  white  Baptist  minister.  Among  the 
treasured  documents  of  the  church  is  a  deed  yellow  with  age  and  honeycombed  by 
moths,  dated  July  third,  1797,  — a  deed  by  Andrew  Bryan,  a  free  white  man,  to  the 
trustees  of  the  First  African  Baptist  Church  of  Lot  Seven,  in  Yaraacraw  village,  for 
a  consideration  of  thirty  pounds.  Upon  this  lot  on  Bryan  street,  near  Farm,  stands 
the  present  large  brick  edifice,  presenting  an  attractive  appearance  from  the  recent 
improvements  to  its  interior  and  the  addition  of  stained-glass  memorial  windows. 
Throughout  its  history  it  has  never  ceased  to  be  wholly  under  the  government  of 
colored  persons.    Its  tenth  and  present  pastor  is  Reverend  U.  S.  Houston. 

Conspicuous  among  the  colored  churches  of  the  city  is  that  of  St.  Stephen's. 


41 


HIHTOlilC  AND   PICTURESQUE   SAVANNAH  223 

This  parish  grew  out  of  a  mission  known  as  the  "  Savannah  Rivei'  Mission." 
About  1855,  the  missionary,  Reverend  kS.  W.  Kennerley,  was  called  to  Savannah  by 
the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Elliott,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  chui'ch  among 
the  colored  people  in  and  about  the  city.  The  whole  of  the  colored  population  of 
Savannah  was  then  under  colored  sectarian  teaching.  Five  colored  persons  only 
were  found  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  In  three  years'  time  the  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Kennerley  had  secured  a  list  of  fifty  communicants.  From  the  five 
members  in  1855,  the  congregation  has  expanded  into  a  large  and  flourishing  one, 
under  the  present  charge  of  the  Reverend  J.  S.  Andrews. 

Among  the  cemeteries  of  Savannah,  the  Old  or  Brick  Cemetery  on  South 
Broad  street  stands  first  in  age  and  in  illustrious  burials.  There  sleep  the  early 
fathers  of  the  colony  ;  the  patriots  of  seventy-six  ;  the  heroes  of  the  Mexican  War ; 
and  eminent  divines  among  the  graves  of  merchants  and  civilians,  who,  upon  the 
foundation-stones  of  Savannah's  heroic  age,  by  public  spirit  and  zealous  enterprise, 
built  up  the  fabric  of  city  government,  and  made  possible  the  Savannah  of  to-day. 

James  Habersham,  who  died  in  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  was  brought  to  Savannah  and  laid  in  the  soil  of  the 
cemetery  of  that  parish  of  Christ  Church  which,  for  many  years,  called  forth  his 
devoted  zeal  in  the  furtherance  of  its  growth.  In  the  same  vault  sleep  a  long  line 
of  his  descendants.  A  horizontal  brown  slab  marks  the  grave  of  the  patriot-histo- 
rian, Hugh  McCall.  The  vault  of  Sir  Patrick  Houstoun,  not  until  recent  years  re- 
moved to  Bonaventure,  bears  the  slal)  commemorative  of  his  death.  Sacred  are  the 
ashes  of  this  necropolis  !  The  Old  Cemetery  was  for  many  years  the  only  public 
burial-ground  of  the  parish.  No  interment  has  been  made  since  1861.  For  twenty- 
seven  years  left  to  the  havoc  of  the  elements,  at  times  invaded  by  lawless  spirits, 
ruthlessl}^  desecrating  the  habitations  of  the  dead,  the  sacred  ground,  after  many 
years  of  litigation,  has  lately  been  confirmed  as  city  property.  Upon  the  city,  then, 
devolves  the  care  and  responsibility  of  this  place  of  tender  associations.  To  what 
more  lovely  purpose  could  it  be  devoted  than  to  serve  as  a  botanical  garden,  to 
foster  the  growing  taste  in  the  city  for  the  cultivation  of  rare  plants  ?  What  more 
appropriate  monument  could  be  raised  over  the  ashes  of  the  dead  than  the  peren- 
nial blooni  of  flowers? 

Bonaventure,  under  the  control  of  the  Evergreen  Cemetery  Company,  iricorpo- 
rated  in  1849,  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city,  containing  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  of  which  seventy  are  enclosed.    It  is  an  ideal  burial-place.  In 


* 


224  HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

1803,  the  first  adult  was  buried  in  Bonaventure,  the  wife  of  Governor  Tattnall,  soon 
followed  by  her  honored  husband. 

Around  a  grave  marked  by  a  neat  tablet  and  enclosed  by  an  iron  i-ailing  gather 
memories  of  the  chivalrous  action  of  Virginia's  sons  who  were  delegates  to  the 
Southefn  Commercial  Convention  held  in  Savannah  in  1856.  In  a  body  they 
visited  Bonaventure  to  find  the  grave  of  Miss  Tapscott,  over  which  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment to  that  talented,  beloved  daughter  of  Virginia,  who  had  died  shortly  after  her 
arrival  in  Savannah.  The  day  before  her  death  she  selected  the  spot  where  she 
now  lies. 

At  the  request  of  a  friend,  the  death  of  Miss  Tapscott  furnished  a  theme  to  that 
charming  lyric  singer  of  New  England,  Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Sigourney. 

Tread  lightly  'mid  tliose  broad  arm'd  oaks, 

'Neath  Georgia's  sunny  sky, 
Where  volunied  mosses,  grey  and  old, 
Like  banners  wave^their  silken  fold, 

As  though  some  host  were  nigh. 

Without  a  host  the  victor  ciime, 

Without  the  trumpet  cry ; 
He  drew  no  sword,  he  bent  no  bow, 
But  pass'd  and  laid  a  victim  low 

In  silent  mystery. 

A  maiden  in  her  beauty's  prime, 
With  eyes  of  holy  light; 

f 

A  gentle  orphan  loved  by  all. 
On  whom  no  blight  has  dared  to  fall. 
He  did  not  spare  to  smite. 

Yet  lilame  him  not,  the  deed  was  kind  — 

Even  though  in  wrath  it  seem'd, 
His  shaft  was  dire,  but  hers  the  gain  — 
To  soar  above  the  sphere  of  pain. 
Where  cloudless  glory  stream'd. 

Though  not  in  fair  Virginia's  vales, 

'Neath  her  own  native  skies. 
The  lifeless  sleeper  sank  to  rest. 
Calm  walks  her  spirit  with  the  blest, 

'Mid  groves  of  Paradise. 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTUIiESQUE  SAVANNAH 


225 


The  Roman  Catholic  cemetery,  situated  on  the  Thunderbolt  road,  two  miles 
from  the  city,  was  opened  in  August  of  1853.  The  first  bishop  of  the  diocese  of 
Savannah,  the  Right  Reverend  F.  X.  Gartland,  and  Bishop  Barron,  of  a  foreign 
diocese,  were  buried  here,  both  victims  of  the  yellow  fever,  in  1854.  Another 
bishop  of  the  diocese,  the  Right  Reverend  John  Barry,  who  went  abroad  for  his 
health,  remained  in  Paris,  under  the  special  care  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  Car- 
dinal Marlot.  There  he  died,  and  was  buried  in  Pere-la-Chaise.  At  the  request 
of  the  faithful  parishioners  in  Georgia,  his  remains  were  brought  to  Savannah  and 
re-interred  beside  those  of  Bishops  Gartland  and  Barron. 

Fort  Brown,  long  since  levelled,  one  of  the  heaviest  earthworks  in  the  line  of 
the  Confederate  defences  of  Savannah,  Avas  located  at  the  Roman  Catholic  cemetery. 
Begun  by  the  State  authorities,  it  was  afterwards  incorporated  in  the  regular  line 
of  defences  erected  by  the  Confederate  authorities  to  command  the  approaches 
from  Thunderbolt,  the  Isle  of  Hope,  and  Beaulieu. 

Laurel  Grove,  which  constitutes  the  cemetery  proper  of  the  city,  "open  to  all 
creeds,"  was  laid  out  in  1852  by  James  O.  Morse,  under  the  administration  of 
Mayor  R.  D.  Arnold.  The  crowded  state  of  the  Old  Brick  Cemetery,  on  South 
Broad  street,  led  to  its  origin.  A  portion  of  the  Springfield  plantation,  then  lately 
purchased  by  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  Savannah  from  the  heirs  and  devisees 
of  eToseph  Stiles,  was  selected  for  the  new  cemetery,  in  the  south-western  boundary 
of  the  city.  This  spot,  consisting  alternately  of  high  and  low  ground,  possessed  the 
picturesque  elements  desirable  for  a  city  of  the  dead.  The  cemetery  was  dedi- 
cated with  elaborate  exercises  on  the  tenth  of  November,  1852.  Doctor  Willard 
Preston,  of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  venerable  Doctor  Lovick 
Pierce,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  participated.  Interesting  features  of 
the  occasion  were  a  poem,  delivered  by  Honorable  R.  M.  Charlton,  and  an 
address  by  Honorable  Henry  R.  Jackson. 

Adjoining  Laurel  Grove  is  the  Jewish  cemetery.  In  Robertsville,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city,  is  to  be  seen  the  first  enclosure  set  apart  by  Mordecai 
Sheftall  for  the  burial  of  his  people.  There  he  lies  with  successive  generations  of 
his  descendants.  The  high  brick  wall  is  kept  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  guard- 
ing the  sacred  ashes  within. 

Tybee  Island,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Savannah  river,  has  become  the  most 
popular  and  valuable  suburb  of  the  city,  owing  to  the  recently  opened  Savannah 
and  Tybee  Railroad,  by  means  of  which  the  island  with  its  refreshing  sea  breezes, 


226 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE 


SA  VAN N AH 


THE  MARTELLO  TOWER. 


and  its  expanse  of  l)each,  extending  five  miles  in  length,  a  magnificent  solid  roadway, 
is  brought  within  easy  access  of  the  midsummer  sun-parched  city. 

To  Captain  D.  G.  Purse,  the  president  of  the  company,  must  be  given  the 
chief  honors  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  long-desired  road.  Just  half  a  century 
previous  to  the  opening  of  the  new  road,  Mr.  Purse's  grandfather,  the  late  Honorable 
Thomas  Purse,  took  an  active  and  conspicuous  part  in  the  construction  of  the  first 
railroad  in  Georgia,  that  of  the  now  mighty  Central  road. 

One  of  the  notable  and  conspicuous  objects  on  the  island  is  the  Martello  Tower, 
in  close  proximity  to  the  lighthouse.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  Spaniards 
who  visited  the  island  before  Oglethorpe's  time.  It  stands,  therefore,  the  oldest 
historic  monument  on  the  coast  of  Georgia,  built,  possibly,  for  use  as  a  fort,  to  pre- 
vent any  hostile  ascent  of  the  Savannah  river.  It  is  a  curious-looking  structure  of 
tabby,  and  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 

One  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  Forest  City,  of  which  all  Savannahians 
are  justly  proud,  is  the  large  number  of  eleemosynary  institutions  within  her 
borders.  In  addition  to  the  asylums  and  hospitals  for  the  relief  of  humanity,  known 
as  the  Female  Orphan  Asylum,  the  Savannah  Hospital,  the  Abraham's  Home,  the 
Episcopal  Orphans'  Home,  the  Widows'  Society,  the  Industrial  Relief  Society,  and 
Telfair  Hospital,  whose  origins  are  given  elsewhere,  there  are  in  our  midst:  — 

I.  St.  Joseph's  Infirmary,  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Taylor  and  Habersham 
streets.  This  institution,  organized  in  1875,  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  Sister  M.  Eulalia,  the  Sister  Superior.    The  infirmary  is  supported  by 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


'221 


voluntary  contributions  and  "pay-patients.'"  There  are  wards  for  tlie  poor  and  the 
city  patients,  as  well  as  for  mariners. 

II.  The  Depository  of  the  Needlewoman's  Friend  Society,  107  Drayton  street, 
Miss  S.  E.  Thompson,  Matron. 

III.  The  Little  Minnie  Mission,  on  the  south-west  comer  of  Jones  and  Lincoln 
streets.  Miss  L.  Pitzer,  Matron.  This  jNIission  afibrds  a  home  for  infants,  and 
stands  a  memorial  to  a  beloved  child,  whose  death  prompted  the  large-hearted 
mother  thus  to  befriend  helpless  little  ones. 

Besides  the  six  societies,  consisting  of  the  Union,  St.  Andrew's,  the  Georgia 
Medical,  the  Hibernian,  the  Port,  and  the  Georgia  Historical,  whose  annals  have 
contributed  many  a  noble  page  to  Savannah's  history,  there  are  of  recent  forma- 
tion — 

I.  "La  Societe  Francaise  de  Bienfaisance  de  Savannah,"  founded  on  the 
second  of  November,  1871,  and  incorporated  on  the  second  of  May,  1873.  The 
object  of  this  society  is  the  assistance  of  its  members  in  distress  and  of  Frenchmen 
in  need.    The  present  officers  are  :  — 

A.  BoNNAUD  .....  President. 

A.  L.  Desbouillons      .       .       .     Vice-President  and  Secretary. 

H.  Thomasson      ....  Treasurer. 

II.  The  Youth's  Historical  Society. 

M.  S.  Herman  ....  President. 

H.  H.  Hayne  ....  Secretary. 

H.  Strauss    .  .       .       .       .  Treasurer. 

A.  E.  Dreyfus  ....  Librarian. 

III.  The  Endowment  Fund  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society,  organized  in  1887 
by  the  following-named  gentlemen  :  — 

E.  J.  NuNN,  M.D.,  George  H.  Stone,  M.D., 

J.  J.  Waring,  M.D.,  George  C.  Hummell,  M.D., 

J.  C.  Le  Hardy,  M.D. 

A  vast  field  of  usefulness  is  contemplated  by  this  adjunct  to  the  Georgia 
Medical  Society.  To  elevate  the  standing  of  the  medical  profession  is  its  imme- 
diate purpose.    Under  its  auspices,  relief  associations  can  be  organized  in  seasons 


I 


228  HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 

of  epidemic,  as  well  as  sanitary  associations.  At  once  practical  and  benevolent, 
its  scope  reaches  into  futurity,  and  its  members  confidently  hope  that,  should 
their  schemes  for  the  drainage  of  the  city  be  ])rought  into  full  operation,  five 
years  hence  will  witness  the  population  of  Savannah  carried  to  the  pleasing 
figures  of  one  hundred  thousand. 

Among  the  social  clubs  of  the  city  are  prominent  the  Harmonic  and  the 
Oglethorpe  clubs. 

The  first  in  point  of  age  dates  back  to  1865,  when  its  members  rented  St. 
Andrew's  Hall  for  a  place  of  meeting,  their  pleasant  social  gatherings  adding  much 
to  the  winter  amusements  of  the  city.  The  club  became  a  chartered  organization 
on  the  third  of  June,  1887.  Its  pi'esent  home  is  the  square  brick  structure  on  the 
corner  of  Bull  and  Jones  streets,  formerly  the  residence  of  the  late  A.  A.  Smets. 
The  present  officers  are  :  — 

Emile  Newman     .       ...       .       .  President. 

J.  A.  Einstein     .....  Vice-President. 

S.  BiNSWANGER      .        .        .        .        .  Treasurer. 

A.  L.  MiLius       ,       .       i       .       .  "  Secretary. 

The  Oglethorpe  Club  was  organized  on  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1875, 
when  but  twelve  members  were  present.  At  first  it  was  made  a  close  club,  with  a 
limited  number  of  members.  The  death  of  the  Chatham  Club  led  many  gentlemen 
to  seek  admission  to  the  Oglethorpe  ;  thereupon  its  membership  was  extended  to  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five.  Its  list  is  nearly  completed.  The  presiding  oflicers  of 
the  club  are  :  — 

George  S.  Owens        .       ,       .       .  President. 


T.  M.  Cunningham 
R.  L.  Mercer 
John  Sullivan 


Vice-President. 

Secretary. 

Treasurer. 


Board  of  Directors. 
W.  H.  Daniel,  Alfred  Chisholm, 

W.  W.  Williamson,  W.  W.  Mackall, 

John  H.  Hunter. 


Savannah's  position  as  the  second  cotton  port  of  the  American  continent  is  due 
mainly  to  the  integrity  and  enterprise  of  her  cotton  merchants,  who,  by  their  safe. 


HISTORIC  AND    PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


22! 


energetic,  and  sagacious  measures,  have  assured  the  past.  It  is  confidently  to  be 
hoped  that  with  their  wise  assistance  the  city  wili  continue  to  expand  commercially, 
for  Georgia  is  the  first  State  in  cotton  acreage,  and  the  second  in  cotton  production, 
of  the  South. 

The  present  imposing  Cotton  Exchange  was  erected  in  1887,  and  was  occupied 
on  the  twelfth  of  Septeml)er  of  that  year.    The  present  officers  are  :  — 


E.  M.  Green 

F.  D.  Bloodworth 


J.  M.  Barnard, 
J.  P.  Overton, 
J.  F.  Minis, 
C.  Menelas, 

E.  F.  Bryan 


Directors. 


C.  A.  Shearson. 


President. 
Vice-President. 

E.  Karow, 
J.  K.  Garnett, 
D.  J.  MacIntyre, 
R.  M.  Butler, 

Superintendent. 


Inspectors  of  Next  Election. 

C.   S.   CONNERAT,  W.    S.   TiSON,  H.   M.  HuTTON. 

The  Board  of  Trade,  organized  on  July  eighteenth,  1882,  consists  of  the  follow- 
in  »•  roll  of  officers  :  — 


John  R.  Young 
I.  G.  Haas  . 

P.  L.  Peacock, 

S.  P.  Shotter, 

C.  M.  Gilbert, 

H.  A.  Crane, 

S.  S.  Guckenheimer, 


Directors. 


President. 
Vice-President. 

M.  W.  Dixon, 
George  P.  Walker, 
A.  B.  Hull, 
W.  W.  Chisholm, 
A.  Ehrlich. 


In,specto7's  of  Election. 
J.  B.  Chestnutt,  C.  H.  Morel,       E  R.  Middleton. 


S.  McA.  White 
Wallace  Schley 


Superintendent. 

Inspector  and  Weigher  Hay  and  Grain 


230 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


Accordinir  to  Colonel  I.  W.  Avery,  in  a  recent  article  upon  Savannah, 
Savannah's  population  has  grown  since  1880  over  twelve  thousand  ;  her  property  has 
increased  in  two  years  nearly  three  millions,  reaching  a  total  of  over  twenty-two 
millions;  her  new  buildings  average  yearly,  since  1883,  seven  hundred  in  number; 
her  retail  trade  runs  to  sixteen  millions,  and  her  wholesale  trade  to  seventeen  mil- 
lions ;  her  banking  operations  amount  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions,  the  whole 
business  of  the  city  reaching  the  gratifying  number  of  one  hundred  millions  of 
dollars. 

Her  leading  industry  is  that  of  rice,  Georgia  being  the  second  rice-producing 
State  in  the  Union.  Savannah  has  four  rice-mills,  her  receipts  of  rice  having 
reached  the  figures  of  seven  hundred  forty-two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  bushels.    Such  an  array  of  statistics  pi'omises  large  results  for  the  future. 

Savannah's  outlook  brightens  with  each  coming  year. 

Our  chapter  draweth  to  an  end,  and  the  small  maritime  sister  on  the  south 
Atlantic  coast,  whose  history  has  furnished  many  a  golden  page  to  the  volumes  of 
our  country's  storied  past,  has  ahead  of  her  years  of  noble  record  yet  unrun,  and 
vast  fields  of  progress  made  possible  by  a  recognition  of  her  own  resources. 

Wise  the  founder  Oglethorpe  ;  wiser  those  who  followed,  building  upon  the  one 
plan  laid  by  the  master  mind  ;  and  wisest  of  all,  those  of  to-day,  who,  recognizing 
the  wisdom  of  the  past  and  its  interpreters,  broaden  and  beautify  by  means  of  the 
lights  of  this  advanced  age,  without  destroying  its  symmetrical  proportions,  the  first 
plan  of  their  city. 

Bay  and  laurel  wreaths  fall  not  to  the  victor  in  this  age  of  practical  results  and 
reward  ;  but  cities,  like  men,  upon  the  stepping-stones  of  their  dead  selves,  may  rise 
to  higher  things;  and  when  those  stepping-stones  mark  deeds  of  honor,  then  may 
they,  cities  and  men  alike,  hope  to  rise  to  deeds  of  glorious  achievement.  With 
such  a  past,  Savannah  has  much  before  her. 

The  final  act  is  reached,  the  bell  has  rung,  down  drops  the  curtain  upon  the 
grand  tableau  of  Savannah's  past;  when  it  rises  again,  may  the  opening  group 
reveal  a  kindred  likeness  to  the  past  in  the  midst  of  new  activities  and  honors. 


C  H  A  P  T  E  E 


XIII. 


THE  Savannah  Bar  has  from  its  earliest  history  held  an  enviable  position  in  the 
legal  fraternity.  Dating  back  to  the  organization  of  our  State  government,  its 
history  is  coeval  with  that  of  the  State  as  a  State.  A  century  has  rolled  by,  and  the 
high  plane  reached  from  the  beginning  has  ever  been  held  with  a  dignity  and  ability 
which  have  alike  commanded  the  admiration  of  the  profession  at  large,  as  well  as  of 
those  not  admitted  within  the  fold  of  the  brotherhood.  Its  roll  contains  the  names 
of  gentlemen  distinguished  not  only  in  the  profession,  but  as  well  in  the  councils  of 
the  State.  Our  statute  laws  as  framed,  and  as  they  have  come  down  to  us  from  the 
earliest  times,  are  a  lasting  memorial  to  the  learning  and  prevision  of  the  lawyer  ,; 
and  to  those  statutes,  members  of  this  Bar  in  the  General  Assembly  have  made  no 
small  contributions.  The  eloquence  of  the  Bar  has  been  well  illustrated,  profound 
learning  and  wide  research  into  the  intricacies  of  legal  problems  have  been  con- 
spicuous. 

Upon  the  ratification  of  the  constitution  of  1798,  the  Superior  Court  was  reor- 
ganized thereunder,  and  case  number  one  was  filed  March  sixth,  1799,  attested  in  the 
name  of  David  B.  Mitchell,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court ;  James  Bulloch,  clerk ; 
Richard  Wall,  sheriff";  George  Allen,  the  plaintift''s  attorney  ;  and  Thomas  Gibbons, 
defendant's  attorney.  The  Bench  and  the  Bar  were  represented  by  gentlemen  of 
prominence  in  their  day,  —  Judges  Mitchell,  Games,  Walton,  and  McAllister  were 
among  the  presiding  magistrates  of  that  early  time  ;  and  Messrs.  Charles  Harris, 
Edward  Bacon,  William  Stephens,  George  Woodrufi',  John  Lawson,  Joseph 
Welscher,  John  Y.  Noel,  William  B.  Bulloch,  and  others,  were  distinguished  for 
their  professional  attainments. 

Mr.  Harris  was  a  remarkal)le  man,  his  legal  accjuirements  wei-e  great,  his  clear 
arguments  were  the  admiration  of  his  brethren  and  entitled  him  to  the  place  he 
held  at  the  head  of  the  Bar.  He  was  devoted  to  his  profession,  and  gave  to  it 
every  faculty  he  possessed.  Although  repeatedly  urged  by  his  fellow-citizens  to 
accept  public  ofiice,  he  steadily  declined  to  do  so,  preferring  to  serve  the  people  in 

C  231  ) 


232 


HISTORIC  AXD   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


a  private  way.  How  well  he  did  this,  and  ho\v  deep  was  the  revereuce  in  which  he 
was  held,  a  city  clothed  in  mourning  attested,  as  his  remains  were  borne  to  their 
last  resting-place. 

T.  U.  P.  Charlton  (now  known  as  the  Elder,  to  distinguish  him  from  his  emi- 
nent son,  the  late  Robert  ]M.  Charlton,  himself  a  profound  jurist  and  wise  judge), 
William  Davies,  John  McPherson  Berrien,  and  others  soon  came  upon  the  stage, 

and  united  with  their  elder 
l)rethren  in  maintaining  the 
bright  record  of  the  past,  and 
winning  new  laurels  :  each  one 
of  the  above  filled  the  judi- 
cial ofiice  with  honor  to  him- 
self and  advantage  to  the 
public. 

In  recurring  to  the  past,  it 
will  l)e  of  some  interest  to  note 
the  place  Avhere  legal  battles 

THE  CANAL. 

were  louglit. 

The  site  of  the  Court  House  has  been  the  same  for  at  least  eighty  or  ninety 
years.  The  predecessor  of  the  present  Court  House  was  a  simple  edifice  of  red 
brick  of  the  same  hue  as  that  of  the  old  Bank  of  the  State  of  Georgia  (now  Charles 
H.  Olmstead's  Bank),  yet  standing  on  Johnson  square.  There  were  no  halls,  but 
you  entered  the  court-room  as  you  passed  through  the  doorway ;  nor  were  there 
any  corx'idors.  On  the  north  side,  towards  President  street,  was  placed  the  judge's 
bench  ;  immediately  in  front,  and  a  little  lower,  stood  the  clerk's  desk,  and  on  one 
side  was  the  sheriff's;  in  front  again  was  a  large  table,  ai'ound  which  sat  the  lawyers 
with  their  clients,  parties  to  the  case  then  occupying  the  attention  of  the  court ;  then 
came  the  railing,  within  which  no  one  but  the  officers  of  the  court  was  permitted  to 
enter,  —  it  was  a  sacred  area  reserved  for  the  initiated  alone.  Around  the  railing, 
in  the  centre  of  which  stood  the  prisoner's  box,  was  a  passage-way,  and  in  the  re- 
mainder of  the  room,  to  the  York-street  side,  were  arranged  benches  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  public  ;  every  succeeding  bench  raised  a  little,  so  that  those  in  the 
rear  overlooked  those  in  front.-  On  either  side  of  the  judge's  bench  were  the  jury- 
boxes,  entered  from  the  passage-wa}'^.  The  l)uilding  did  not  occupy  the  whole  lot 
through  to  Drayton  street,  but  upon  the  eastern  portion,  fully  one-half  of  the 


HISTORIC  AND  PiaTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


233 


ground,  were  two  or  three  wooden  dwellings,  one  of  which,  on  President  street,  and 
contiguous  to  the  Court  House,  was  occupied,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing, 
by  the  clerk  of  the  court,  Major  A.  B.  Fannin,  an  army  officer  at  the  time  of  the  War 
of  1812,  serving  under  General  Andrew  Jackson  with  marked  distinction,  and  a  gen- 
tleman highly  esteemed  !)y  his  fellow-citizens.  Such  was  the  old  Court  House. 
The  judge  who  then  presided  (during  the  twenties)  was  the  Hoii()ra))le  James  M. 
Wayne,  afterwards  one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  a  courtly  gentleman,  affable  and  urbane  in  maimer,  an  upright  and 
conscientious  magistrate.  In  additiou  to  those  already  named  appear  the  names  of 
William  Law,  John  C.  Nicoll  (both  judges  of  the  Superior  Court),  Richard  W. 
Habersham,  Edward  F.  Tattnall,  Richard  Stiles,  George  W.  Owens,  Joseph  W. 
Jackson,  and  Matthew  Hall  McAllister. 

Mr.  McAllister  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  this  Bar  during  the  thirties  and  for- 
ties. Of  commanding 
personal  appearance, 
easy,  graceful  bearing, 
rich  and  ready  flow  of 
language,  his  glowing 
periods  ever  fell  with 
telling  effect  ui)on  his 
audience.  He  re- 
moved to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1850,  and 
there  held  the  highest 
judicial  office  under 
the  United  States 
Government. 

William  W.  Gor- 
don was  a  successful 
lawyer,  but  he  abandoned  the  profession  to  take  charge  of  the  Central  Railroad 
of  Georgia,  as  its  first  president.    His  name  is  identified  with  that  great  work. 

William  B.  Fleming  was  a  firm,  able,  and  upright  judge.  He  presided  over  the 
Superior  Courts  of  the  Eastern  Circuit  for  a  longer  period  than  any  of  his  predeces- 
sors, and  he  was  conspicuous  from  the  fact  that  throughout  his  long  term  very  few 
of  his  decisions  were  overruled  by  the  Supreme  Court. 


THE    COURT  HOUSE. 


234 


EISTORIC  AND    I'ICTUBESQUE  SAVANNAH 


It  was  during  the  official  term  of  Judge  Law  that  the  old  Court  House  was 
razed  to  the  ground  and  the  present  building  erected.  In  the  interval  the  court 
was  held  in  the  "Long  Room"  of  the  Exchange,  which  then  occupied  the  whole 
front  of  that  grand  old  landmark. 

Sometime  in  the  thirties,  the  present  building  was  completed.  Judge  Law 
holding  the  first  term  in  the  new  Court  House.  The  Superior  Court  had  been  and 
was  then  the  highest  legal  tribunal  in  our  State,  and  continued  to  be  so  until  the 
year  1845,  when  the  Legislature  tardily  met  the  requirements  of  the  constitution  and 
organized  the  Supreme  Court,  for  the  correction  of  errors.  Previous  to  that  time 
the  judges  of  the  Superior  Court,  in  oi'der  to  further  uniformity  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  law,  were  accustomed  voluntarily  to  convene  to  discuss  and  pass  judg- 
ment upon  cases  of  deep  interest  pending  in  their  respective  circuits,  which  in- 
volved interesting  points  of  law.  Some  of  the  results  of  these  deliberations 
are  to  be  found  in  Dudley's  Reports,  and  are  held  as  high  authority  by  the  pro- 
fession. 

Lawyers  are  not  always  tied  down  to  the  drudgery  of  the  ofiice  or  limited  to 
the  exciting  scenes  of  the  court-room.  They  have  their  seasons  of  relaxations,  and 
we  question  if  there  are  any  set  of  men  who  more  keenly  enjoy  the  playtime  than 
lawyers.  One  of  the  most  notable  of  these  occasions  was  when  books  and  papers 
were  packed  and  preparations  made  for  "riding  the  circuit,"  —  twice  during  the 
year,  in  spring-time  and  late  autumn.  The  Eastern  Circuit  then  compiised  all  the 
seaboard  counties,  together  with  Bulloch,  Etfingham,  and  AVayne.  The  terms  of 
each  were  held  consecutively,  so  that  it  required  some  time  to  make  the  round. 
The  lawyers  then  travelled  in  their  own  conveyances,  occasionally  one  or  two  on 
horseback  ;  and  as  they  went  from  court  to  court,  generally  together,  they  made 
quite  a  string  along  the  roadway.  Many  amusing  incidents  constantly  happened,  as 
may  well  be  supposed,  when  such  a  party  was  brought  together.  The  wayside 
spring  was  a  good  place  to  restore  exhausted  humanity  ;  lunch-baskets  with  sugges- 
tive accompaniments  made  their  appearance,  and  jest,  anecdote,  and  laughter  made 
merry  the  silent  woods  ;  and  half  an  hour  or  so  would  thus  pass  off  in  entire  aban- 
don, until  some  thoughtful  one  would  bring  to  mind  the  journey  yet  before  them.  It 
was  after  the  business  of  the  day  was  over,  and  the  court-room  closed,  that  care  was 
set  aside  and  the  genial  hour  of  social  enjoyment  drew  nigh.  Dinner  was  served  in 
the  lawyer's  private  parlor,  always  set  apart  by  the  landlord  for  his  favored  guests  ; 
and  with  a  good  appetite  and  a  clear  conscience,  it  need  scarcely  be  said  that  the 


histoiik;  and  i'Icturrhque  savannah 


235 


time  was  keenly  enjoyed  —  ready  wit  and  repartee  ran  around  the  table,  and  all 
was  pleasantness  and  good-fellowship. 

The  circuit  has  l)een  made,  the  repeated  struggles  in  the  court-room  are  over ; 
the  pleasures  of  the  festive  board,  the  rollicking  drive  through  the  lofty  pines, 


ART    ROOM.       TELFAIR  ACADEMY. 


the  genuine  hospitality  of  the  princely  planters  of  that  day,  ever  heartily  extended, 
—  have  all  been  enjoyed  to  the  full,  and  must  now  be  folded  u[)  and  put  away  among 
the  pleasant  memories  of  the  past. 

Coming  to  the  time  of  the  forties,  we  lind  some  of  the  old  lawyers  still  in  har- 
ness and  doino-  good  work.  Among  the  oldest  were  Levi  S.  D'Lyon  and  Mordecai 
Sheftall,  both  of  whom  presided  over  the  City  Court,  then  called  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  and  Oyer  and  Terminer.    The  roll  of  that  decade  contains  the  names  of 


23G 


HISTORIC 


AND 


PICTUIiESQUE  SAVANNAH 


many  well  known  to  the  elder  portion  of  this  generation.  Among  them  will  be 
found  those  of  John  E.  Ward,  Edward  J.  Harden,  Francis  S.  Bartow,  Thomas  E.. 
Lloyd,  Henry  Williams,  John  W,  Owens,  Henry  R.  Jackson,  and  Alexander  R. 
Lawton,  all  of  whom,  except  Messrs.  Ward,  Jackson,  andLawton,  have  finished  their 
com'se,  leaving  behind  them  an  enviable  reputation  for  professional  learning  and 
forensic  eloquence.  Many  meml)ers  of  this  Bar  have  held  high  positions  in  the 
State  and  National  Legislatures  and  under  the  General  Crovernment.  Mr.  Berrien 
was  United  States  Senator  in  the  twenties  and  again  in  the  forties,  and  Attorney- 
General  of  the  United  States  durino;  General  Jackson's  first  administration.  Robert 
M.  Charlton  was  also  a  United  States  Senator.  Edward  F.  Tattnall,  James  M. 
Wayne,  Richard  W.  Habei'sham,  George  W.  Owens,  and  Joseph  W.  Jackson  were 
all  meml)ers  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives  from  this  State. 

John  Millen  was  a  successful  lawyer  and  eloquent  advocate.  He  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  Congress  about  the  year  1844,  l)ut  died  at  his  home  in  Savannah 
before  taking  his  seat. 

In  1852,  whilst  the  Honorable  Henry  R.  Jackson  was  judge  of  the  Eastern  Cir- 
cuit, Julian  Hartridge  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  Young  as  he  Avas,  he  took  a  promi- 
nent position  from  the  first.  Possessed  of  great  oratorical  power,  ready  and  quick 
in  the  court-room,  clear  in  the  statement  of  his  points,  and  forcible  in  presenting 
them,  he  soon  won  his  way  to  the  front  rank  and  held  his  own  with  the  best.  He 
fell  a  victim  to  the  capricious  climate  of  Washington  City  on  the  eighth  of  January, 
1879,  while  discharging  the  duties  of  a  member  of  Congress.  When  his  remains 
were  borne  to  their  last  resting-place,  there,  followed  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
imposing  funeral  corteges  ever  witnessed  in  Savannah,  —  a  fitting  honor  paid  to  one 
whose  brilliant  powers  gave  promise  of  unusual  attainments  when  untimely  death 
cut  short  his  career  in  manhood's  prime. 

The  Bar  of  the  present  day  maintains  its  high  reputation,  and  in  turn  will 
transmit  untarnished  the  honored  name  it  has  received  to  its  successors. 


CHAPTER 


xiy. 


IHE  historical  account  of  the  settlement  of  Savannah  in  the  colony  of  Georgia 


-L  is  interestino-.  We  are  charmed  with  the  eulogiums  offered  to  the  benevolence 
and  perseverance  of  the  heroic  founders  and  trustees  of  the  needy  colony. 

These  eulogiums,  expressed  in  epic  strains,  call  forth  feelings  of  thankfulness, 
and  excite  our  admiration,  for  they  depict  that  good  fortune,  a  home  with  its 
attendant  comforts,  is  at  last  the  portion  of  the  weary  and  poverty-stricken 
emigrant. 

Written  by  poets  whose  fancy  saw  things  at  that  favored  distance  which  lends 
enchantment  to  the  view,  these  eulogiums,  upon  a  closer  observation,  prove  some- 
what of  a  mirage.  The  refreshing  oasis  vanishes  with  its  limpid  streams  and 
towering  groves  of  luxuriant  and  nutritious  date-trees.  Instead,  there  arises  the 
naked  pine,  barren  in  a  hot-bed  of  dry,  white  sand,  surrounded  by  miasmatic 
swamps.  These  two  pictures  are  no  fancy  sketches,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  perusal  of 
"A  True  and  Historical  Narrative,  etc.,  written  by  Pat.  Tailfer,  M.D.,  Hugh 
Anderson,  M.D.,  and  Doctor  Douglas,  and  published  at  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina ;  printed  by  P.  Timothy,  for  the  authors,  in  the  year  1741."  Thus  alongside  of 
the  eulogiums  uttered  by  poets  three  thousand  miles  away,  we  find  curses  by  the 
incensed  settlers  on  the  bluff  showered  upon  General  Oglethorpe,  the  hero  of  the 
benevolent  scheme  for  colonizing  Georgia.  That  there  was  cause  for  complaint  on 
the  part  of  the  settlers  there  can  be  no  doubt,  for  many  of  them,  dissatisfied  at  the 
treatment  their  petitions  received,  left  the  colony  and  sought  other  homes.  In 
many  there  was  aroused  a  spirit  of  rebellion,  which  laid  the  train  for  the  outburst 
of  '76.  All  honor,  then,  be  given  to  the  memory  of  Doctors  Tailfer  and  Douglas, 
to  whom  may  be  traced  the  birth  of  that  spirit  which  animated  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

These  two  doctors  were  educated  gentlemen.  History  is  silent  regarding  their 
practical  ability  as  physicians,  yet  we  have  sufficient  proof  that  they  did  their  best 


(  237  ) 


.238 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  those  who  were  under  the  thmiib  of  brief  but 
tyrannic  authority. 

Doctor  Nunis,  an  Israelite,  a  gentleman  of  education,  and  a  humane  and  skilful 
physician,  when  notified  that  the  benevolent  effort  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
settlers  of  Georgia  did  not  extend  to  Jews  and  Roman  Catholics,  removed  at  once 

with  his  family  to 
a   more  generous 
community.  He 
made  his  home  in 
Charleston,  in  the 
colony    of  South 
Carolina.  Not 
the  grand  spirit  of  free- 
aded  the  land  led  to  the 
t  our  government  was  not 


declaration  tl 

a  respecter  of  persons  and  religious 
ds,  and  that  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile should  find  equal  protec- 
tion under  its  liberal  institu- 
tions. 

Savannah,  at  an  early 
date  of  her  career,  stands  in 
the  front  ranks  of  the  medi- 
cal world.  In  the  year  1804 
she  was  represented  by  highly 
educated  and  refined  gentle- 
men, doctors  by  profession, 
who  saw  the  necessity  of  infusing  their  spirit  in  a  conspicuous  manner  among 
the  coming  oenerations.  These  gentlemen,  men  of  wealth  and  experience, 
realized  that  our  climate,  though  beautiful  and  inviting  in  appearance,  was  fatal 
to  many  because  of  the  miasmus  that  tainted  the  atmosphere.  Other  causes, 
depending  upon  personal  habits  which  science  only  could  remove,  they  also 
saw  needed  correction ;  they  therefore  petitioned  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
Georgia. 


HISTORIC  AND    FJCTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


239 


An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Georgia  Medical  Society. 

Whereas,  Noble  Wimberly  Joses,  President ;  John  Irvine,  Vice-President ;  John  Grimes,  Secre- 
tary; Lemuel  Kollock,  Treasurer;  John  Gumming,  James  Ewell,  Moses  Sheftall,  Joshua  E.  AVhite, 
William  Parker,  Thomas  Schley,  George  Jones,  George  Vinson  Proctor,  Henry  Bourquin,  Thomas 
Young,  Jun'r,  Peter  Ward,  William  Cooke,  James  Glenn,  and  Nicholas  S.  Bayard  have  by  their 
petition  represented  that  they  have  associated  themselves  in  the  city  of  Savannah,  under  the  style  and 
name  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  lessening  the  fatality  induced  by  climate 
and  incidental  causes,  and  improving  the  science  of  inedicine.  And  in  order  to  ensure  and  establish 
their  said  Institution  in  a  permanent  and  effectual  manner,  so  that  the  benevolent  and  desirable 
objects  thereof  may  be  executed  with  success  and  advantage,  have  prayed  the  Legislature  to 
gi'ant  them  an  act  of  incorporation. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Georgia, 
in  General  Assembly  met,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  it  is  hereby  enacted,  That  the  several 
persons  herein  before  named  and  others  who  are  and  may  become  members  of  the  same  Society, 
respectively,  the  officers  and  members  tliereof,  and  their  successors,  shall  be  and  are  hei'eby  declared 
to  be  a  body  corporate  in  name  and  deed,  by  the  style  and  denomination  of  "  The  Georgia  Medical 
Society,"  and  by  the  said  name  and  style,  shall  have  perpetual  succession  of  officers  and  members, 
and  a  common  seal  to  use,  and  shall  have  power  and  authority  to  make,  alter,  amend,  and  change 
such  bye-laws  as  may  be  agreed  on  by  the  members  of  the  same :  Provided  such  bye-laws  be  not 
repugnant  to  the  laws  or  Constitution  of  this  State  or  the  United  States. 

Section  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  they  sliall  have  full  power  and  authority  under  the 
style  and  name  of  The  Georgia  Medical  Society,  to  sue  in  the  name  of  their  President  and  Vice- 
President  for  the  time  being,  and  recover  all  such  sum  or  sums  of  money,  as  are  or  hereafter  may 
become  due  the  said  Society,  by  any  name  or  style  whatever,  in  any  court  of  law,  or  at  any  tribunal 
having  jurisdiction  thereof,  and  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  sa-id  Society  in  any  court  or  at  any 
^tribunal  whatever,  to  defend  and  also  to  receive,  take  and  apply  such  bequests  or  donations  as  may 
be  made  to,  and  for  the  uses  and  purposes  intended  by  the  said  Society ;  and  shall  be,  and  are  hereby 
declared  to  be  vested  with  all  the  powers  and  advantages,  privileges  and  immunities  of  an  associa- 
tion or  society  of  people  incorporated  for  the  purposes  and  intentions  of  their  said  association. 

Section  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  this  act  shall  be  and  is  hereby  declared  to  be 
deemed  and  considered  a  public  act  to  all  intents  and  purposes  whatever. 

ABRAHAM  JACKSON, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

JARED  IRWIN, 

President  of  the  Senate. 

Assented  to  December  twelfth,  1804. 

JOHN  MILLEDGE, 

Governor. 


240 


BTSTORir  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


After  the  formation  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society,  the  esprit  de  corps  of  the 
profession  was  aroused,  colleges  sprang  into  existence,  and  many  physicians,  not 
content  with  the  instruction  received  at  home,  attended  the  older  and  famed  medical 
schools  of  Europe. 

The  first  president  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society,  Noble  Wimberly  Jones, 
a  son  of  Honorable  Noble  Jones,  who  came  to  Georgia  with  General  Ogle- 
thorpe, was  born  near  London,   England,  in  1732.     When  the  struggle  be- 


COLONEL    ESTILL'S  HOME 


tween  the  colonies  and  mother  country  began,  he  was  in  favor  of  the  rights 
of  the  colonies.  A  conspicuous  doer  and  sufferer  in  that  contest,  he  became 
the  honored  president  of  the  Georgia  State  Convention  for  the  revision  of  the 
Constitution,  in  1795.  Of  him  truly  may  it  be  said,  "Physician,  Patriot,  States- 
man." 

The  first  vice-president  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society  was  Doctor  John 
Irvine,  a  Scotchman,  who  came  to  Georgia  before  the  Kevolution.  He  practised 
his  profession  both  in  Savannah  and  in  Sunbury,  now  Liberty  County.  He  was  a 
sincere  Loyalist,  and  a  member  of  the  last  Royal  Assembly  held  by  Sir  James. 


HISTORIC  AND 


PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


241 


Wright,  in  1780.  In  1795,  he  returned  to  Savannah,  and  successfully  practised  his 
profession  till  his  death,  in  March,  1809. 

There  arose  from  this  society  the  first  protest  against  the  prevailing  pernicious 
system  of  rice-culture,  l^y  which  rice  was  cultivated  on  the  low  lands  adjacent  to  the 
city  up  to  the  very  door-sills  of  the  houses,  the  stagnant  water  remaining  on  the 
fields  being  the  cause  of  much  malignant  disease.  To  tlie  society  must  be  given  the 
honor  of  originating  a  remedy  for  the  evil,  in  the  plan  of  dry  culture  for  rice.  That 


ON    THE    ISLE    OF  HOPE. 


Savannah,  in  1817,  with  a  population  of  six  thousand,  two-fifths  slaves,  should 
pay  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  test  a  theory  of  her  doctors.,  is  a  high  tribute 
to  tlie  estimate  in  which  they  were  held. 

How  emphatic  becomes  the  declaration,  "The  places  that  know  us  now,  will 
soon  know  us  no  more  forever,"  when  we  search  the  records  for  many  prominent  in 
their  profession  a  half-century  ago.  Among  those  of  note  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine was  Doctor  W.  H.  Cuyler.  He  was  devoted  to  his  profession,  foremost  in 
advancing  the  interests  of  his  native  city,  and  intrusted  with  responsible  positions 
by  his  neighbors. 


242 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE 


SA  VAN N AH 


Doctor  William  C.  Daniels,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
a  practitioner  of  note  and  a  man  of  much  energy  of  character.  He  was  the  author 
of  a  work  on  "The  Autumnal  Fevers  of  Savannah,"  which  is  still  consulted  for  its 
valuable  thoughts.    He  died  in  1869. 

Doctor  W.  R.  Waring  was  a  gentleman  of  rare  culture,  a  successful  physician, 
and  the  author  of  a  valuable  work  on  yellow  fever  and  other  diseases.  An  earnest 
worker  in  the  welfare  of  the  city,  his  efforts  were  recognized  by  the  people,  and  he 
was  honored  with  the  hiohest  office  within  their  oift. 

Success  in  whatever  he  undertook  was  the  marked  characteristic  of  Doctor  J. 
P.  Screven,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Reverend  William  Screven,  who  came  from 
England  anterior  to  1674  and  settled  in  Maine.  Driven  thence  by  religious  perse- 
cution, Reverend  William  Screven  moved  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1683, 
and  founded  the  Baptist  church  in  that  State.  Doctor  J.  P.  Screven  was  born  in 
Bluffton,  South  Carolina,  on  October  eleventh,  1799.  His  father  moved  to  Savan- 
nah while  he  was  an  infant.  His  preparatory  academical  education  was  under  Doctor 
Moses  Waddell,  a  graduate  of  Columbia  College,  South  Carolina,  and  his  medical 
preceptor,  Doctor  W.  R.  Waring,  of  Savannah.  Graduating  at  the  Medical  College 
in  Philadelphia,  he  then  spent  two  years  as  a  devoted  student  in  Europe,  observing 
and  appropriating  whatever  served  to  equip  him  for  usefulness.  In  1834,  he  with- 
drew from  the  profession  to  devote  his  attention  to  planting  interests.  His  mind 
was  at  once  active,  practical,  and  far-seeing.  He  was  the  originator  of  Savannah's 
water-works  system,  and  also  the  projector  of  what  is  now  the  Savannah,  Florida, 
and  Western  Railway  system.  Appreciated  and  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens,  he 
held  the  positions  of  Mayor  of  the  city  and  of  State  Senator,  He  died  on  July 
sixteenth,  1859, 

Doctor  Cosmo  P.  Richardson  was  a  physician  of  note  and  a  useful  member  of 
the  community,  lending  a  helping  hand  to  every  movement  calculated  to  make 
men  and  women  better  and  happier.  He  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  his 
father  being  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  Coming  to  Georgia  in  his  fifteenth  year, 
he  was  placed  under  the  tuition  of  that  celebrated  educator  of  Georgia  boys,  Rev= 
erend  Carlisle  C.  P.  Beman.  His  medical  preceptor  was  Doctor  W.  C.  Daniels. 
His  life  was  devoted  to  his  profession  and  his  friends.  He  died  in  1852,  leaving 
a  widow,  two  daughters,  and  one  son,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  this  writing. 

Doctor  Richard  D.  Arnold  was  born  in  Savannah,  in  1808,  and  died  in  the 
same  room  in  which  he  was  born,  on  July  tenth,  1876.    A  graduate  of  Princeton 


HISTORIC  AND   m'TURESQUE  SAVJNNAH 


243 


College  find  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
his  native  city  in  the  year  1830,  and  I)ecame  one  of  the  most  active  and  useful 
men  of  his  time.  Prominent  as  a  physician  and  an  investigator,  he  threw  light 
upon  the  pathology  of  that  terrible  disease,  yellow  fever.  Probably  he  was  the 
most  industrious  worker  at  the  hospital  during  the  epidemics  of  that  fell  disease, 
making  more  post-mortem  examinations  than  any  other  physician.  His  genial, 
social  nature  gave  him  great  popularity  among  his  fellow-citizens,  who  showed 
their  appreciation  by  electing  him  to  the  Legislature  and  to  aldermanic  honors, 
also  at  sundry  times  to  the  mayoralty  of  Savannah.  He  displayed  practical 
executive  ability,  and  used  it  for  the  advancement  of  public  interests.  As  an  editor 
he  was  indefatigable.  It  was  in  a  great  measure  to  his  activity  and  love  of  litera- 
ture that  the  Georgia  Historical  Society  had  origin,  and  it  was  his  devotion  to  his 
profession  that  made  him  the  foremost  in  the  debates  in  the  Georgia  Medical 
Society.  To  be  useful  seemed  to  be  his  aim,  and  in  all  he  did  he  seemed  animated 
by  the  motto,  "  JSfon  sibi  sed  aliis."  He  was  mayor  of  Savannah  when  General 
Sherman  captured  the  city.  When  he  died  the  poor  lost  a  friend,  and  they  showed 
their  appreciation  by  a  large  funeral  procession  following  him  to  his  grave. 

Doctor  William  Gaston  Bulloch,  born  in  Savannah  on  August  fourth,  1815, 
was  the  great-grandson  of  the  Honorable  Archibald  Bulloch,  President  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Colony  of  Geoi'gia,  and  son  of  John  I.  Bulloch  and  Charlotte 
Glen,  the  daughter  of  John  Glen,  the  first  Chief  Justice  of  Georgia.  A  graduate  of 
Princeton  College,  also  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Doctor  Bulloch  after- 
wards spent  nearly  ten  years  in  Europe  fitting  himself  for  his  profession.  He 
began  his  practice  in  Savaimah  in  1840,  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  skilful 
surgeons  in  the  State,  also  as  an  eminent  oculist  for  that  time.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Savannah  Medical  College,  and  a  professor  of  surgery.  He 
died  on  January  twenty-third,  1885. 

Doctor  Joseph  Clay  Habersham,  a  grandson  of  Governor  Habersham,  and  the 
son  of  Major  John  Habersham,  graduated  at  Princeton  College.  He  was  an 
earnest  student  of  nature,  learning  the  secrets  which  she  ever  discloses  to  diligent 
and  careful  seekers.  Eminent  as  a  physician,  he  commanded  the  confidence  of 
the  profession  and  the  citizens  of  Savannah.  His  fondness  for  scientific  research 
was  crowned  by  the  discovery  of  the  fossil  remains  of  a  mastodon  or  megatherium 
not  far  from  Savannah,  near  the  White  Bluff  road.  This  discovery,  in  connection 
with  his  attainments,  caused  him  to  be  highly  complimented  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell 


244 


HISrOEIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


on  a  visit  to  Savannah.  Doctor  Habersham,  in  his  devotion  to  duty,  fell  a  victim 
to  the  yellow-fever  epidemic  of  1854,  his  death  not  occurring  till  the  year  follow- 
ing. His  son,  Doctor  J.  C.  Habersham,  born  on  October  ninth,  1829,  a  graduate 
of  Harvard,  entered  upon  his  professional  life  with  zeal.  He  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
Confederate  service,  where  he  made  a  good  record.  President  of  the  Georgia 
Medical  Society,  and  city  health-officer  for  several  years,  every  position  to  which 
he  was  called  he  filled  with  ability  and  fidelity. 

Doctor  James  J.  Waring,  for  manj^  years  a  resident  ph3^sician  of  Savannah, 
died  in  his  home  in  the  city  on  January  eighth,  1888.    Ill  for  many  months, 


PALMETTO. 


and,  in  spite  of  his  great  energy,  confined  to  his  bed,  none  believed  that  soon 
he  was  to  pass  away  from  the  scene  of  an  untiringly  busy  life.  Strong  was 
his  love  for  his  birthplace.  Savannah,  and  to  its  advancement  he  devoted  much  of 
his  time  and  energy.  To  him  the  city  owes  an  immense  debt  of  gratitude  for 
the  system  by  which  the  swamps  in  the  south-eastern  sul)urbs,  once  a  "  fi'uitful 
source  of  malaria,"  were  well  drained.  They  now  constitute  a  pleasing  portion  of 
the  city,  with  charming  homes  and  radiant  gardens.  Doctor  J.  J.  Waring,  a  son  of 
Doctor  William  R.  Waring,  was  l)orn  in  Savannah  on  August  nineteenth,  1829. 
After  a  careful  preparatory  education,  he  entered  Yale  College  at  an  early  age. 
He  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  Philadelphia,  for  two 


HISTORIC  AND  PICTURESQUE 


SAVANNAH 


245 


years,  where  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  in  the  spring  of 
1852.  During  the  following  year  he  was  assistant  resident  physician  of  the  Bleckly 
Hospital  in  Philadelphia.  Early  in  1853  he  went  to  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  was 
for  some  time  resident  in  the  "  Lying-in  Hospital,"  studying  under  Professor  Wilde  ; 
from  thence  he  was  appointed  assistant  resident  physician  in  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital,  London.  After  living  in  Paris  seven  months,  and  travelling  in  Switzerland 
and  Italy,  he  returned  to  America  and  settled,  in  1856,  as  a  physician  in  Washing- 
ton City.  He  was  elected,  in  1857,  Professor  of  Physiology  and  Professor  of 
Obstetrics  in  the  National  Medical  College.  In  1859,  he  was  made  surgeon,  and 
also  curator,  of  the  Washington  Infirmary.  On  returning  to  Savannah,  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  1861,  to  join  his  family,  he  was  arrested  and  detained 
in  the  city  by  the  Confederate  authorities.  Savannah  ever  afterwards  remained 
his  home.  The  yellow-fever  outbreak,  in  the  city  in  1876,  caused  Doctor 
Waring  to  hasten  from  his  summer  home  in  Saratoga  to  become  chairman  of  a 
conmiittee  of  the  City  Government  for  carrying  out  sanitary  reforms.  This  work, 
as  all  others,  heartily  engaged  his  attention. 

Doctor  Waring  married  Miss  Alston,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Pinckney 
Alston,  of  South  Carolina,  who,  with  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  survives  him. 

Doctor  Waring's  record  was  one  of  untiring,  unfailing  energy,  combined  with 
great  mental  strength.  To  the  last,  he  was  surrounded  with  heavy  responsibilities 
and  self-imposed  tasks  yet  unfinished. 

To-day,  doubtless,  the  members  of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society  are  equally 
as  learned  and  as  fully  devoted  to  their  profession  and  the  welfare  of  their  fellow- 
beings  as  their  illustrious  predecessors.  The  following-named  gentlemen  constitute 
the  present  officers  of  the  society  :  — 

Dr.  R.  J.  NuNN       ....  President. 

Dr.  R.  p.  Myers      ....  Vice-President. 

Dr.  M.  F.  Dunn      ....  Recording  Secretary. 

Dr.  B.  p.  Olivekos  ....  Treasurer. 

Dr.  G.  C.  Hummell        .       .       .  Librarian. 


co^^rcLusio^^. 


THE  gentle  reader  who  has  followed  us  closely  through  the  cumbrous  details  of 
over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  will,  we  trust,  have  found  somewhat  to 
smoothe  the  asperities  and  to  beguile  the  tedium  of  our  travel  history.  Certainly 
there  has  been  no  lack  of  variety  in  this  historical  pilgrimage,  marked  by  mile-stones 
of  such  widely  different  aspect.  Heroes  and  men  of  more  ordinary  mould  have  in  close 
proximity  passed  before  us,  each  in  his  way  essential  to  the  history  of  the  times, 
filling  the  niche  reserved  for  him,  from  the  founder  to  the  citizen  of  to-day.  At  no 
wide  intervals  Savannah  has  been  tried  by  fire  and  flood,  nor  has  it  escaped  those 
more  direful  scourges  of  war  and  pestilence.  With  less  recuperative  power  she 
would  have  been  utterly  destroyed,  and  not  a  memorial  stone  left  to  mark  her 
site.  These  signal  triumphs  over  past  adversities  assure  us  that  in  spite  of  dis- 
asters yet  lurking  in  the  womb  of  the  future  she  is  one  of  the  predestined  capitals 
of  the  nation. 

Should  this  seem  an  idle  optimistic  fancy,  pause  a  moment  and  bring  in  review 
the  names  illustrious  in  history.  In  her  Jacksons,  and  Berriens,  and  Laws,  and 
Lawtons,  and  Habershams,  and  Mclntoshes,  and  Demeres,  and  Charltons,  and 
a  half-hundred  besides,  she  has  a  "breed  of  noble  bloods,"  whose  impress  is  upon 
her  past,  and  whose  lives  and  labors  will  be  the  inspiration  of  her  future. 

Far  beyond  her  commercial  advantages,  far  above  her  agricultural  and  manu- 
facturing resources,  we  prize  that  spirit  of  noble  disinterestedness  and  that  self-sac- 
rificinsr  philanthropy  which  have  been  conspicuous  in  her  annals  from  the  landing  at 
Yamacraw  to  the  closing  years  of  this  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Her  admirable  school  system,  her  well-equipped  and  well-ordered  fire  and 
police  departments,  her  gallant  citizen  soldiery,  renowned  alike  in  war  and  peace, 
her  civil  ofl5cers,  who  with  dignity  and  wisdom  preside  at  the  councils  of  the  city, 
are  one  and  all  worthy  of  grateful  recognition  and  honorable  mention.  Nor  less  so 
her  counting-rooms  and  workshops,  her  foundries  and  factories,  which  have  calcu- 

(246  ) 


HISTORIC  AND   PICTURESQUE  SAVANNAH 


247 


lated  greatly  to  her  material  advancement.  But  from  another  and  higher  stand-point, 
her  benevolent  organizations  and  her  I'eligious  institutions  are  her  crown  jewels. 

In  the  years  to  come,  as  in  the  years  gone  by,  these  will  best  illustrate  the 
motto  of  her  noble  founders,  "  JVbn  sibi  sed  aliis." 

It  has  been  beautifully  said  that  "  Calvaries  and  crucifixes  take  the  deepest  hold 
of  humanity."  So  it  is  that  Savannah,  the  nursling  of  charity,  has  expanded  from 
a  petty  hamlet  into  the  present  beautiful  Forest  City,  the  entrepot  of  a  commerce 
that  reaches  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Here  we  rest :  welcome  word  to  the 
author,  possibly  to  the  reader.  "  If  I  have  done  well,  it  is  what  I  desired  ;  if  slen- 
derly and  meanly,  it  is  that  which  I  could  attain  unto." 


INDEX 


Abraham's  Home,  226. 

Adams,  John,  first  ambassador  from  the  United 

States  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  24. 
Altamaha  Eiver,  2. 

Anderson,  John  W.,  first  captain  of  the  Eepub- 
lican  Blues,  207. 

Andrew,  Benjamin,  earlj^  patriot,  43,  51. 

Andrew,  James  O.,  Methodist  minister,  125. 

"  Ann,"  first  voyage  of  the  galley,  3,  155. 

Arnold,  R.  D.,  128,  153,  158. 

Arthur,  Chester  A.,  first  President  of  the  United 
States  entertained  as  a  private  guest  in 
Savannah.  214. 

AsBURY,  Francis,  first  Methodist  Bishop  of  Amer- 
ica, 107. 

Ash,  John  H.,  136. 

Asylum,  Feaiale  Orphan,  first  directors  of,  105 ; 

present  edifice  and  board  of,  106. 
AxsoN,  I.  S.  K.,  divine,  129. 
AxsoN,  S.  Edward,  209. 

Baker,  William,  early  patriot,  43. 

Baptists'  Meeting-House  erected,  97  ;  charter  of 
incorporation  of,  150 ;  second  congregation 
of,  reunion  of  first  and  second  congregations 
of,  present  pastor  of,  151. 

Bar,  of  Savannah  :  reorganization  of  Superior 
Court  of,  231;  D.  B.  Mitchell,  judge  of, 
231 ;  names  of  early  judges  and  lawyers  of, 
231;  former  Court  House  of,  232;  lawyers 
prominent  during  the  twenty  decade  of,  233 ; 


Bar,  of  Savannah  — 

present  Court  House  of,  234 ;  lawyers'  play- 
time, riding  the  circuit,  235  ;  names  of  lawyers 
of  the  forty  decade  of,  235 ;  high  positions 
under  general  government  held  by,  236 ;  pres- 
ent standing  of,  236. 

Barracks,  agitation  in  the  city  on  tlie  question  of, 
149  ;  theatre  used  by  troops  for,  150. 

Barron,  Bishop,  225. 

Barry,  John,  bishop,  225. 

Bartow,  Francis  S.,  199. 

Battle  Row,  48. 

Battelle,  J.,  125. 

Bazin,  L.,  162. 

Beard,  N.  G.,  153. 

Beaulieu,  plantation  of,  at  present  time,  26. 

Beaven,  James,  early  patriot,  43. 

Becker,  Thomas  A.,  bishop,  162. 

Beecroft,  Samuel,  77. 

Bennefield,  John,  early  patriot,  43. 

Bennett,  Thaddeus  F.,  209. 

Berrien,  John  McPherson,  150,  158,  168. 

Bethesda,  14 ;  first  road  in  Georgia  cut  to,  15 ; 
Whitefield  at,  84 ;  bequeathed  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ingdon, 84,  110;  her  portrait  presented  to, 
86. 

Bilbo,  Jajies,  125. 
Bilbo,  John,  207. 
BiNNEY,  J.  G.,  150. 
Bischoff,  William,  184. 
Blitz,  Signor,  155. 
19) 


250 


INDEX 


BOARDING-HOUSE,    MrS.     BaTTEY'S,     152  ;  MrS 

Platt's,  152. 
Board  of  Trade,  officers  of,  229. 
BoLTOJs,  John,  112. 

Bolton,  Robert,  first  postmaster  in  Savannah, 
39,  181. 

Bona  VENTURE,  seat  of  Tattnall  family,  173 ;  Ever- 
green Cemetery  Company  of,  173;  dramatic 
episode  at,  174;  historic  incidents  connected 
with,  176. 

Boone,  Thomas,  divine,  156. 

BOURKE,  Th.,  123. 

BouRQUiN,  H.  L.,  early  patriot,  43. 

BOWEN,  family  of,  76,  77. 

BOWEN,  Wm.  p.,  76. 

Bowman,  W.  S.,  divine,  167. 

Boyd,  W.  H.,  209. 

Brahm,  John  G.  William  de,  surveyor-general, 
31. 

Brasch,  p.,  135. 

Bremer,  Frederika,  visit  to  Savannali  of,  193. 
Brewton  Hill,  53. 

Bryan,  Jonathan,  early  patriot,  37,  43. 

Bull,  William,  4,  5,  10. 

Bullock,  Archibald,  early  patriot,  43. 

Bullock,  W.  H.,  128. 

Bullock,  James  S.,  132. 

Bullock,  W.  B.,  123,  158. 

Burr,  Aaron,  visit  of,  106. 

Butler,  Elisha,  early  patriot,  43. 

'  Cafferty,  Edward,  162. 

Cambridge,  Mass.  ,  gunpowder  sent  from  Savan- 
nah to,  44. 
Campbell,  Hugh  G.,  124. 
Capers,  William,  125. 

Capture,  first  made  by  the  order  of  any  Congress 

in  America,  oft'  Tybee  roads,  44. 
Carlos,  Don,  of  Spain,  107,  108. 
Carrier  System,  125. 
Cassell's  Row,  27. 
Cathedral  of  Savannah,  161,  162. 
Cavi,  l'Abbe,  161. 


Cemeteries:  Old  Brick,  223;  Bonaventure,  224 ; 

Roman   Catholic,  225;    Laurel  Grove,  225; 

Jewish,  225. 
Charlton,  R.  M.,  158. 
Charlton,  T.  U.  P.,  123. 
Charter,  granted,  2  ;  expired,  29. 
Chatham  Academy,  incorporation  of,  110;  first 

trustees  of ,  110;  present  building  of ,  114. 
Ch.vfham   Artillery,  organized,  80  ;  receives 

Washington  guns,  95  ;  centennial  of,  218. 
Chatham  County,  51. 
Chatham  Hussars,  119. 
Chatham  Rangers,  119. 
Chisholm,  Thojias,  51. 

Christ  Church,  site  of,  20;  first  building,  27; 
dedication  of,  27  ;  state  of,  31 ;  cornei'-stone 
laid  of  present  building,  155;  parish  of,  14; 
rectors  of,  155 ;  present  pastor  of,  156. 

City  Council,  first  minutes  of,  87 ;  mayor  fined, 
in  minutes  of,  99 ;  screw-press  ordered,  in 
minutes  of,  109  ;  ordinances  of,  111,  112  ; 
December  21st,  1812,  minutes  of,  119;  thanks 
of,  120;  resolutions  of,  120;  letters  to  and 
resolutions  of,  122,  189. 

Clay,  Henry,  109  ;  the  Old  Prince  in  Savannah,  168. 

Clay,  Joseph,  early  patriot,  43. 

Cleveland,  Grover,  in  Savannah,  220. 

"  Close  Shave  in  Finances,"  124,  125. 

Clubs  :  Harmonie,  officers  of,  228 ;  Oglethorpe, 
officers  of,  228. 

Cochrane,  James,  20. 

CocKBURN,  Sir  George,  commander  of  British 

fleet,  121. 
Cockrane,  Alexander,  122. 
Coleman,  John,  51. 

Colony,  landing  of,  4;  broad  charity  underlying, 
11. 

"Columbian  Museum  and  Savannah  Adver- 
tiser," newspaper,  earliest  mention  of  a 
theatrical  performance  in  Savannah  in,  98 ; 
advertisement  of  school  for  dancing  in,  99 ; 
account  of  the  great  fire  in  1796  in,  99,  100; 
of  Aaron  Burr's  visit  to  Savannah  in,  106. 


INDEX 


251 


Committee  or  Vigilance  appointed,  121. 
Convent  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  168;  Mother 

Aloysius  in  charge  of,  169. 
Cooper,  John,  182. 
COPPEE,  Edward,  147. 
CORBETT,  S.  D.,  153. 
CORLEY,  R.  J.,  125. 
CO.STELL,  EOBEKT,  9. 

Cotton  Exchange  erected,  229 ;  officers  of,  229. 

Council  of  Safety,  organized,  44;  ceased,  51. 

Court  House,  old  one  torn  down,  150 ;  Court  of 
Record  established,  6 ;   composed  of,  7 ;  of 
Common  Pleas  and  Oyer  and  Terminer,  99. 

CoxspuR  Island,  12. 

Crawford,  W.  C,  209. 

Cumberland  Island,  121. 

Gumming,  John,  204. 

Cumming,  Joseph,  147. 

Curry,  Daniel,  125. 

Customhouse,  first  building,  181;  present  build- 
ing of,  181;  statistics  of,  181,  199. 

CUTHBERT,  SeTH  JOHN,  110. 

Davies,  Wm.,  125. 
Davis,  Jefferson,  218. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  received  in  Sa- 
vannah, 49 ;  first  anniversary  of,  50. 
Delamotte,  Charles,  12. 

Delegall,  Philip,  Sen.,  lieutenant  in  Oglethorpe's 

regiment,  20. 
Delegall,  Philip,  Jun.,  lieutenant  in  Oglethorpe's 

regiment,  20. 
De  Lyons,  family  of,  7. 
Demere,  Raymond,  20,  49. 
Densler,  Frederick,  125. 

Depository  of  the  Needlewoman's  Friend  So- 
ciety, 227. 

De  Renne,  G.  W.  J.,  patron  of  letters,  21,  29; 

home  of,  193. 
Desbrisay,  Albert,  20. 
Devanney,  John,  207. 
Doyle,  Alexander,  designer,  220. 
Drummond,  E.  W.,  209. 


Duke  of  Orleans,  tribute  to  the  memory  of,  165, 

Dunbar,  George,  20. 

DuNLAP,  Joseph,  47. 

Dunn,  R.  G.,  and  Company,  25. 

Dunning,  S.  C,  132,  153. 

DuNWODY,  Samuel,  Methodist  minister,  125. 

Earthquake,  first  shock  in  Georgia  of,  115;  of 

1886,  220. 
Eaton,  Thomas,  31. 

Education,  Board  of,  212;  Massie  School  Com- 
missioners, 212. 
Elbert,  Samuel,  110. 
Elliott,  Grey,  37. 
Elliott,  W.  H.,  154. 

Elliott,  Stephen,  first  Episcopal  bishop  of 
Georgia,  156. 

Ellis,  Henry,  second  royal  governor  in  Georgia, 
31 ;  tact  of,  33. 

Endowment  Fund  of  the  Georgia  Medical  So- 
ciety, 227  ;  originators  of,  227. 

"  Epervier,"  British  brig-of-war,  122. 

Episcopal  Orphans'  Home,  founded,  164 ;  present 
building  and  Board  of  Managers  of,  164. 

Estill,  J.  H.,  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  "Morn- 
ing News,"  183,  187. 

Exchange,  corner-stone  laid  of,  101 ;  early  history 
of,  102;  council-chamber  of,  185;  watchman 
of,  186. 

Fair  Lawn,  home  of  Major  Bowen,  76,  148. 
Fairies,  George  G.,  147. 
Farley,  Samuel,  early  patriot,  43. 
Fell,  Isaac,  123. 
Few,  Ignatius  A.,  125. 
Few,  William,  51. 

Filature,  erected,  26 ;  burned,  rebuilt,  30,  31 ; 

I 

place  of  public  meetings,  90. 
Fillmore,  Millard,  second  ex-president  to  visit 

Savannah,  188. 
Finn,  Harry  James,  128. 

Fire  in  Savannah,  first  great,  99,  100;  second 
great,  134;  in  1883  and  1865,  216. 


252 


INDEX 


FmsT  African  Baptist  Church,  history  of,  222 ; 

present  pastor  of,  222. 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  origin  of,  147; 

present  edifice  and  pastor  of,  148. 
First  Ship  ciiartered  to  a  mercantile  house  in 

Georgia,  25. 
Fish,  J.  D.,  208. 
Floyd,  Brigadier-General,  124. 
Foley,  John,  208. 
Ford,  M.  J.,  209. 
Ford  Dramatic  Association,  215. 
Forest  City  of  the  South,  1. 
Forsyth  Park,  23;  laid  out,  183;  named  for 

John  Forsyth,  183,  184. 
Fort,  Arthur,  51. 
Fortifications,  line  of,  123. 

Forts:  Brown,  225;  George,  38;  Halifax,  38; 
Oglethorpe  (or  Jackson),  47,  116,  200;  Pu- 
laski, 57,  148,  196,  200,  209;  Wayne,  55. 

Fourth  of  July  in  1812,  118. 

Fraser,  John,  208. 

Frederica,  free  school  in,  15 ;  military  post  of, 

20;  Oglethorpe's  victory  at,  21. 
Free  School  established  in  Savannah,  125. 
Frew,  Mrs.,  129. 
Fulton,  John,  51. 

Gallie,  John  B.,  207. 

Gartland,  F.  X.,  bishop,  225. 

General  Assembly,  minutes  of,  27,  28 ;  fire  regu- 
lations of,  32 ;  regulations  of  attendance  upon 
worship  of,  33 ;  regulations  of  market  of,  36, 
37 ;  act  to  purchase  governor's  mansion,  38 ; 
act  against  the  going  at  large  of  hogs  and 
goats,  38 ;  act  to  rebuild  Court  House,  39. 

George  II.,  40. 

George  III.,  34;  birthday  of,  43;  interred  in 
effigy,  50. 

Georgia,  Colony  of,  2 ;  affairs  of,  transferred  to 
Lords  Commissioners  of  plantation  affairs,  29  ; 
peculiar  situation  of,  40,  41 ;  joins  the  united 
colonies,  45;  first  State  constitution  of,  51; 
selected  as  object  of  British  attack,  52 ;  first 


Georgia  — 

formal  cession  made  by  British  to  Ameri- 
can power  in,  65 ;  last  day  of  royal  rule  in,  66 ; 
rice  industry  in,  230. 

"Georgia  Gazette,"  first  issue  of,  39;  call  pub- 
lished in,  42,  43 ;  advertisements  in,  69,  70,  71 ; 
extracts  from,  64,  71,  74,  80,  84,  85,  86,  91, 
92,  93,  94,  100. 

Georgia  Infirmary,  society  incorporated,  154; 
present  board,  154. 

"Georgian,  The,"  newspaper,  127;  history  of, 
128;  extracts  from,  134,  135,  161,  188. 

Gibbons,  S.  W.,  early  patriot,  43. 

Gibbons,  William,  110. 

Girardeau's  Plantation,  53. 

Glenn,  John,  early  patriot,  43. 

Gordon,  W.  W.,  first  president  of  the  Central 
Railroad,  157. 

Government  House,  68. 

Grand  Jury,  first  in  Georgia,  7. 

Grant,  U.  S.,  in  Savannah,  214. 

Gray,  Lieutenant,  59. 

"  Great  Embarcation,"  distinguished  voyagers 
in,  12. 

Greene,  Nathaniel,  66 ;  gift  from  Georgia  legis- 
lature to,  72 ;  death  of,  73 ;  mystery  of  disap- 
pearance of  body  of,  74 ;  traditions  concerning 
it,  75,  76. 

Greenwich,  Lines  on  Old,  77. 

Guards,  Savannah  Volunteer,  119 ;  field  and  staff 
of,  210. 

Habersham,  James,  15 ;  establishes  first  commer- 
cial house  in  Savannah,  25 ;  tomb  in  Old  Brick 
Cemetery,  223. 

Habersham,  John,  110. 

Habersham,  Joseph,  43,  45,  46,  125,  132. 

Habersham  Mansion,  146. 

Hall,  Lyman,  early  patriot,  43. 

Hall,  Washington,  125. 

Harden,  E.,  123. 

H.iiRNEY,  J.  M.'s,  "Curse  of  Savannah,"  127. 
Harrington  ILvll,  home  of  Capt.  R.  Demere,  23. 


INDEX 


253 


Harris,  Charles,  with  J.  Habersham,  establishes 
the  first  commercial  house  in  Savannah, 
25. 

Harris,  Francis,  speaker  of  the  first  General 
Assembly  of  Georgia,  28. 

Harris,  Joel  Chandler,  author  of  "Uncle  Re- 
mus," 183. 

Hartridge,  Gazaway,  editor  "  Savannah  Daily 
Times,"  183. 

Hawkins,  Thomas,  surgeon  in  Oglethorpe's  regi- 
ment, 20. 
Hayes,  John  E.,  182. 

Hayne,  Paul,  opening  lines  of  Sesqui-Centennial 

Ode  of,  216. 
Headquarters  of  the  British  in  Savannah,  56. 
Henry,  C.  S.,  153,  158. 
Herbert,  Henry,  divine,  3. 
Heron,  Alexander,  20. 
Hersman,  J.,  123. 
Herz,  Henry,  179. 

Hibernian  Society,  origin  of,  117;  present  offi- 
cers of,  118. 
Hodgson  Hall,  86,  159. 
Hodgson,  W.  B.,  159. 
hofzindorf,  w.,  51. 
Hogg,  John  B.,  architect,  184. 
Holcombe,  Henry,  150. 
Holmes,  J.  E.  L.,  151. 
Hopkins,  Matthew,  153,  208. 
Horton,  Will,  20. 

Hostilities  between  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ico, 170;  call  for  Irish  Jasper  Greens, 
170. 

Hotels,  Georgia,  125;  City,  152. 
Houstoun,  Sir  George,  91. 
Houstoun,  James,  110. 

Houstoun,  John,  43,  51;  first  mayor  of  Savan- 
nah, 86,  110. 
Houstoun,  Sir  Patrick,  86 ;  tomb  of,  223. 
How,  S.  B.,  147. 
Howe,  General,  52. 
Hunter  Hall,  114. 
Hutchinson's  Island,  108. 


"  Ida,"  steamer,  197. 

Independent  Presbyterian  Congregation,  ori- 
gin of,  32  ;  meeting-house  of,  64 ;  worship  in 
Baptist  Meeting-House,  101 ;  corner  stone  laid 
of,  129 ;  dedication  of  present  edifice,  129 ; 
present  pastor  emeritus,  129. 

Industrial  Relief  Society  and  Home  for  the 
Friendless,  originators  of ,  213;  present  board 
and  managers  of,  213. 

Infirmary,  St.  Joseph's,  Sister  M.  Eulaiia,  226. 

Ingraham,  Benjamin,  12,  13. 

Irish  Jasper  Greens,  170. 

Isaac,  Robert,  132. 

Isle  of  Hope,  28. 

Israelites,  arrival  of,  7 ;  worship  of  congregation 
of,  96 ;  charter  from  Gov.  Telfair,  the  Sepliar 
Torah  scroll  of  the  law  of,  96. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  President,  109;  testimony 
of  respect  paid  to  his  memory  in  Savannah, 
166. 

Jackson,  Bulloch,  208. 
.Jackson,  Fort,  116. 

Jackson,  Henry  R.,  160,  170;  letter  to,  117;  poem 
by,  171. 

.Jackson,  James,  49,  65;  receives  keys  of  Savan- 
nah from  the  British,  66. 
Jail  Bounds,  148. 

Jails  :  Jail  of  1794,  97  ;  Old  County  Jail,  169. 
Jasper,  Sergeant,  59 ;  history  of,  220. 
Jasper  Monument  Association,  220. 
Jewish  Cemetery,  the  first  enclosed  in  Savannah, 
89. 

Johnson,  James,  first  editor  "  Georgia  Gazette," 
39. 

Johnson,  Robert,  governor  of  South  Carolina,  6 ; 

first  square  in  Savannah  named  for,  6. 
Johnston,  J.  W.,  208. 

Jones,  C.  C,  Jun.,  quotations  from  his  sketch  of 
Frederica,  21 ;  Quotations  from  his  life  of 
Commodore  Tattnall,  174. 

Jones,  George,  123. 

Jones,  John,  51. 


254 


INDEX 


Jones,  Noble  W.  Wormsloe,  the  estate  of,  28 ; 

captain  of  militia,  28. 
Journalism  in  Savannah  in  1850,  181. 

Kennerley,  S.  W.,  223. 

Kent  House,  68. 

Kimball,  Hazen,  125. 

King,  R.,  153. 

Knox,  William,  37. 

KoLLOCK,  Henry,  divine,  113,  129. 

KoLLOCK,  John  F.,  210. 

KOLLOCK,  P.  M.,  153. 

Lafayette,  General,  visit  to  Savannah,  140;  his 
reception  in  the  city,  141 ;  laying  of  corner 
stones  of  tlie  Greene  and  Pulaski  monuments 
by,  145,  205. 

Launitz,  Robert  G.  ,   designer  of  the  Pulaski 

Monument,  191. 
Law,  William,  176, 198. 
Lav^'ton,  a.  E.,  187,  207. 
Lawton,  Edward,  208. 

Lee,  Robert  E.,  memoirs,  75;  news  of  his  death 
in  Savannah,  214;  first  service  in  Savannah, 
214;  his  visit  to  the  city,  214;  his  sword,  214. 

Legislature,  members  of,  51 ;  acts  of  generosity 
of,  72;  acts  of,  111. 

Leman,  John,  20. 

Letters  :  from  W.  Stephens  to  H.  Verelst,  ex- 
tracts from,  22 ;  from  J.  H.  Cruger,  concern- 
ing the  siege  of  Savannah,  60 ;  from  Hebrew 
congregation  in  Savannah  to  George  Wash- 
ington, 95 ;  his  reply,  96 ;  from  C.  F.  Prender- 
gast  to  Henry  R.  Jackson,  117 ;  from  John  E. 
Ward  to  Herschel  V.  Johnston,  189. 

Liberty,  Sons  of,  origin  of  expression,  41. 

Liberty  Lovers,  43. 

Liberty  Pole,  first  erected  in  Georgia,  43. 

Libraries,  Georgia  Historical,  9;  circulating,  101. 

Library  Society,  158. 

Little  Minnie  Mission,  227. 

Lutherans,  nucleus  of  chui'ch  organization  of,  27 ; 
site  of  the  church  of,  27 ;  dedication  of  the 
new  church  of,  167;  the  present  pastor  of ,  167. 


McAllister,  M.  H.,  158,  176. 

McCall,  Hugh,  historian,  223. 

McClure,  John,  47. 

McCoRKEY,  Sherifi",  99. 

McGehee,  E.  H.,  177. 

McIntosh,  George  W.,  early  patriot,  43. 

McIntosh,  H.,  123. 

McIntosh,  James  S.,  177. 

McIntosh,  Laciilan,  45 ;  Georgia  State  legisla- 
ture meets  in  house  of,  67 ;  incident  in  the 
early  life  of,  68. 

MacKay,  Hugh,  captain  and  adjutant  in  Ogle- 
thorpe's regiment,  20. 

MacKay,  James,  ensign  in  Oglethorpe's  regi- 
ment, 20. 

Mackay,  R.,  123. 

Mace,  S.,  20. 

Maitland,  Colonel,  57 ;  death  of,  63. 
Mann,  John,  early  patriot,  43. 
Mansion  House,  152. 

Maricet,  changed  to  South  Broad  street,  135; 

returns  to  old  site,  135. 
Marshall,  captain  of  Savannah  Volunteer  Guards, 

205. 

Martello  Tower,  226. 

Martin,  Governor  of  Georgia,  65. 

Mason,  Lowell,  Organist  in  Independent  Presby- 
terian Church,  139;  composition  of  "Green- 
land's Icy  Mountains,"  139  ;  leader  in  formation 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Society,  147. 

Mason,  S.  W.,  183. 

Masonry,  the  old  hall  of,  102 ;  history  of  Solo- 
mon's Lodge,  No.  1,  103;  prominent  members 
of,  1(34 ;  present  temple  and  lodges  of,  105. 

Mayor's  Court  organized,  99. 

Medical  Profession  of  Savannah  :  incorporation 
of  the  Georgia  Medical  Society,  239 ;  present 
officers  of,  245 ;  rice  culture,  system  of,  241 ; 
prominent  doctors  of,  237-245. 

Mendes.  family  of,  presiding  over  oldest  Hebrew 
congregation  in  America,  137. 

Mendes,  Abraham,  137. 

Mendes,  De  Sola,  137. 


INDEX 


255 


Mendes,  H.  Pereira,  137. 
Mendes,  Isaac  P. ,  137. 
Mercier,  l'Abbe  de,  161. 
Mercer,  Hucm  W.,  208. 

Methodism,  the  rise  of,  in  Savannah,  13;  talent 

of,  125;  Trinity  Church  of,  177. 
Meyer,  William,  1G2. 
MiCKVA  Israel,  137. 
MiLLEDGE,  R.,  28. 
Mills,  W.  H.  C,  207. 
Minis,  family  of,  7. 

Monroe,  James,  second  President  of  the  United 
States  to  visit  Savannah,  130;  newspaper 
account  of,  131. 

Montmollin,  Colonel,  107. 

Montmollin,  John  S.  de,  108. 

Moore,  Francis,  visits  Savannah,  10;  his  de- 
scription of  the  town,  10. 

More,  Hannah,  extracts  from  letters  of,  3,  24. 

Morell,  John,  early  patriot,  43. 

Morgan,  George,  20. 

"Morning  News,"  newspaper,  history  of  the,  182. 

Morrison,  James,  125. 

Mouse,  James  O.,  225. 

Mulberry  Grove,  73,  74,  79. 

Mulryne,  John,  46,  174. 

Myers,  E.  H.,  125. 

NicoLL,  John  C,  158. 

Nightingale,  P.  M. ,  his  version  of  the  tradition 

concerning  Gen.  Greene,  75. 
Night-Watch  establislied  in  city,  97. 
NiTSCHMAN,  David,  12;  founder  of  Bethlehem, 

Penn.,  16. 
NoRBURY,  Richard,  20. 
NoRRis,  John  B.,  123. 

Ocean  Steamship  Company,  157. 
Ogechbe  River,  152. 

Oglethorpe,  James,  2 ;  leader  of  the  trustees,  3 ; 
marks  out  the  first  square,  5 ;  begins  the  first 
house,  5 ;  indebted  to  Costell  for  plan  of 
Savannah,  10;  voyager  in  "Great  Embar- 


Oglethorpe,  James  — 

cation,"  12;  erects  house  for  service,  13,  15; 
philanthropy  of,  16 ;  attachment  of  Indians 
for,  18 ;  Tomo-chi-chi's  pall-bearer,  17 ;  regi- 
ment of,  20 ;  headquarters  in  Savannah,  22 ; 
his  home  on  St.  Simon's  Island,  23 ;  liis  final 
return  to  England,  23;  mention  of,  25,  26,  27, 
29,  31,  33,  36,  38,  68,  104,  107,  146,  155,  193, 
196,  204,  215,  226,  230,  237. 

Oglethorpe  Cantonment,  149. 

Oglethorpe  Light-Infantry,  199. 

Olmstead,  Charles  H.,  160,  187,  208. 

O'Neill,  J.  F.,  161. 

Orphans'  Ho.me,  Bethesda,  15 ;  Ossabaw,  200. 
Owens,  G.  W.,  119,  126;  family  residence  of,  146. 

Palmer,  Benjamin,  divine,  148. 
Parade,  first  organized,  28. 
Parishes,  division  of  province  into,  31. 
Pavilion,  112. 

Peace,  proclamation  of,  by  the  President,  124. 
Peacock,  W.,  51. 

"  Peacock,"  United  States  sloop-of-war,  122. 

Peeper  Island,  12. 

Philbrick,  S.,  153. 

Pierce,  G.  F.,  125. 

Pierce,  Lovick,  divine,  125. 

Pierce,  W.  L.,  119. 

Pinckney,  Thomas,  115,  116,  124. 

Polk,  James  K.,  visits  Savannah,  179. 

Port   Society  of   Savannah,  originated.    167 ; 

present  officers  of,  168. 
Post-Office  established  in  Savannah,  39. 
Powell,  A.,  early  patriot,  43. 
Preston,  H.  K.,  158. 
Preston,  W.,  divine,  129. 
Prevost,  General,  52. 

Printing-Press  established  in  Savannah,  39. 
Public-School  System  incorporated  in  Savan- 
nah, 211. 

Pulaski,  Count,  59;   tradition  concerning  his 

burial,  76;  his  banner,  79. 
Pulaski  House,  152. 


256 


INDEX 


PULASia  MOXTJMENT,  190. 

Punch,  P.  J.,  128. 
Purse,  D.  G.,  226. 
Purse,  Thomas,  157,  226. 

QumcY,  Samuel,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  13. 

Kailroads  :  beginning  of  the  Central  road,  156 ; 
present  officers  of,  157;  Savannah,  Florida, 
and  Western,  119;  organized,  186;  present 
officers  of,  186 ;  Savannah  and  Tybee,  225. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  7. 

Reck,  P.  G.  F.  de,  12. 

Reed,  W.  A.,  182. 

Reichert,  Melchior,  162. 

Reilly,  P.,  210. 

"Republican,  The,"  newspaper,  history  of ,  181; 

extracts  from,  115,  117. 
"Republican  and  Savannah  Evening  Ledger, 

The,"  newspaper,  extract  from,  113. 
Republican  Blues,  119. 

Revolution,  first  battle  in  Georgia  of  the,  47 ;  9th 

of  October,  1779,  in,  59. 
Reynolds,  John,  first  royal  governor  of  Georgia, 

29,  30. 
Rice,  Captain,  48. 
Roberts,  Daniel,  48. 
Robertson,  George,  128. 
Robertson,  William,  128. 
Rockwell,  W.  S.,  208. 
Roe,  a.  S.,  123. 

Roman  Catholics,  chapel  of,  97 ;  early  worship 

in  city  of,  97. 
Russell,  James,  divine,  125. 

Sacred  Heart  Church,  162. 

Salary  of  City  Officials  eighty-seven  years  ago, 
109;  first,  of  the  mayor,  137. 

Savannah,  Forest  City  of  the  South,  becomes  a 
town,  6 ;  first  map  of,  9 ;  free  school  in,  15 ; 
council  chamber  of,  30 ;  enlarged  and  beauti- 
fied by  Gov.  Wright,  37;  bird's-eye  view  of 
in  1760,  37;  Yamacraw  and  Trustees'  Gardens, 
suburbs  of,  38 ;  fortified,  38 ;  royal  rule  in,  55 ; 


Savannah  — 

appearance  of  French  fleet  in  river,  56;  de- 
fences of  the  British  in,  58 ;  celebrated  per- 
sonages in  the  siege  of,  60 ;  civil  government 
in,  63 ;  gala  day  in,  71 ;  incorporated,  86 ;  first 
mayor  and  city  council  of,  86 ;  insignia  of  office 
of,  91;  aspect  of  the  city  in  1796,  99;  census 
of,  101 ;  modern  city  of,  211 ;  the  city  during 
the  civil  war,  195-204 ;  calls  for  meetings,  196 ; 
minute-men  in,  196 ;  women  in,  200 ;  Wayside 
Homes  in,  201 ;  disappearance  of  luxuries  in, 
201 ;  fashion  in,  202. 

Savannah  Hospital,  origin  of,  153 ;  present  man- 
agers of,  153. 

Savannah  Volunteer  Guards,  oldest  infantry 
corps  in  Georgia,  204. 

Savannah  Widows'  Society,  present  board  of 
managers  of,  138. 

Scarborough,  William,  130,  132. 

Schick,  P.,  137. 

Screven  House,  152. 

Screven.  James  P.,  207. 

Screven,  John,  residence  of,  30. 

Seals:  of  trustees,  8;  of  Lords  Commissioners 
of  plantation  afliairs,  29 ;  of  State  of  Georgia, 
51;  first  for  city  use  borrowed,  89. 

Secession,  ordinance  of,  passed  in  Georgia,  198. 

Sesqui-Centenni.\l,  215 ;  ode  composed  by  Paul 
Hayne  for,  216. 

Sewell,  James,  divine,  125. 

Sheftall,  family  of,  7. 

Sheftall,  Abraham,  115. 

Sheftall,  Benjamin,  extracts  from  book  of,  81. 
Sheftall,  Mordecai,  96. 
Sherman,  Gen.  W.  T.,  203. 
Sibley,  S.  S.,  128. 

Siege  of  Sav,\nnaii,  "memorandum  of,  61. 

Sigourney,  Lydia,  poem  by,  224. 

Silk  Culture,  inwoven  with  the  government,  27. 

Sinclair,  Elijah,  divine,  125. 

Smets,  a.  a.,  residence  and  library  of,  192. 

Smith,  John,  early  patriot,  43. 

S.mith,  H.,  divine,  155. 


INDEX 


257 


Sneed,  J.  R.,  182. 

Snow  in  Savannah,  155 ;  in  1852,  184. 
Societies  :  St.  George's,  later  Union,  27,  82 ;  St. 

Andrew's,   91,  139;   Georgia  Medical,  239; 

Hibernian,   117;  Widows',   138;   Port,  167; 

Georgia  Historical,  158  ;  Industrial  Eelief ,  213 ; 

Youths'  Historical,  227 ;  Societe  Fran9aise  de 

Bienfaisance  de  Savannah,  227. 
SORRELL,  F.,  153. 

South  Broad  Street,  southern  boundary  of  the 
town,  11 ;  fragment  of  history  attached  to,  89. 
Spalding,  J.,  23. 

Spangrnberg,  C.  G.,  first  Moravian  bishop  in 

America,  16. 
Spanish  Invasion  of  Georgia,  19. 
Squares,  names  of:  Johnson,  6;  Percival,  17; 

Reynolds,  27 ;  Wright,  36 ;  Ellis,  36 ;  St.  James, 

101 ;  Chippewa,  125  ;  Orleans,  125  ;  Oglethorpe, 
Madison,  162;  Pulaski,  162;  Monterey, 

191 ;  Lafayette,  194. 
St.  Benedict's,  162. 
St.  Gall,  hamlet  of,  45. 

St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,  contemporaneous 
origin  with  Georgia  Episcopate,  163;  corner- 
stone laid  of  present  edifice  of,  163 ;  present 
pastor  of,  163. 

St.  John  the  Baptist  Church,  dedicated,  161. 

St.  Joseph's  Inpirmary,  marks  site  of  first  negro 
burial-ground  in  city,  89. 

St.  Mary's  Home,  169. 

St.  Patrick's,  161. 

Stacy,  J. ,  early  patriot,  43. 

Stamp  Act,  royal  assent  to,  40;  repeal  of,  42. 

Steamship  "  City  of  Savannah,"  132. 

Stegin,  J.  H.,  207. 

Stephens,  Alexander  H.,  in  Savannah,  216. 
Stephens,  William,  president  of  colony,  17 ;  letter 

of,  22. 
Stephens,  W.,  110. 

Stevens,  W.  B.,  quotations  from  his  "  History  of 
Georgia,"  12,  16;  quotation  in  reference  to  E. 
Neuville,  156. 

Stiles,  G.  W.,  208. 


Stirk,  J.,  early  patriot,  43. 
Stone,  W.  D.,  115. 

Storm,  destructiveness  of,  108 ;  snow,  155,  189. 
Strakosch,  musician,  179. 

Streets,  names  of :  Abercorn,  6 ;  Anderson,  129  ; 
Bay,  6 ;  Barnard,  36 ;  Broughton,  43  ;  Bryan, 
6;  Bull,  6;  Charlton,  162;  Congress,  66;  Dray- 
ton, 6;  East  Broad,  205;  Farm,  216;  Gas- 
ton, 153 ;  Gordon,  214 ;  Gwinnett,  149 ;  Hall, 
149;  Harrison,  216;  Houstoun,  66;  Indian, 
191;  Jefierson,  38;  Joachim,  45;  Jones,  162; 
Liberty,  53;  Lincoln,  38;  Macon,  162;  Mont- 
gomery, 66;  New  Houston,  149;  Pine,  216; 
President,  66 ;  South  Broad,  3G ;  State,  66 ;  St. 
Julian,  6;  Wayne,  76;  West  Broad,  48; 
Whitaker,  6 ;  York,  17 ;  Zubly,  45. 

Strong,  C.  H.,  divine,  163. 

Sunday  School,  the  oldest  in  the  world,  14. 

Synagogue,  corner-stone  laid  of,  137. 

Tabby,  173. 

Tanner,  John,  20. 

Tanner,  J.,  125. 

Tattnall,  Josiah,  46,  150. 

Tattnall,  Josiah,  Jun.,  174. 

Taverns  :  City,  101 ;  Guno's,  125. 

Taylor,  Zachary,  170 ;  observances  in  Savannah 

upon  death  of,  179. 
Tefft,  I.  K.,  128;  di§tinguished  visitors  at  house 

of,  192. 

Telfair,  E.,  early  patriot,  43. 
Telfair,  Mary,  129,  159,  219. 
Telfair  Academy,  46,  219. 

Telfair  Hospital,  219 ;  present  officers  and  man- 
agers of,  220. 
Thackeray,  W.  M.,  in  Savannah,  194. 
Theatre,  opened,  125 ;  first  programme,  126. 
Thomasson,  p.,  125. 
Thompson,  W.  F.,  editor,  182, 
Thunderbolt,  225. 
TOLSOM,  W.,  20. 

Tomo-chi-chi,  5, 16 ;  buried  in  Percival  square,  17; 
his  remains  disinterred,  17. 


258. 


INDEX 


ToNDEE,  Peter,  28,  43. 

Tondee's  Tavern.  43 ;  provincial  Congress  held 
in,  44. 

Treutlen,  John,  first  governor  under  the  Consti- 
tution of  Geoi'gia,  51. 
Trinity  Methodist  Church,  177. 
Trust  Lots,  10. 

Trustees,  pet  scheme  of,  7 ;  of  the  colony,  2 ; 
change  of  government  by,  25 ;  of  Savannah 
theatre,  125. 

Tybej;  Island,  12,  225;  lighthouse  on,  38;  British 
off,  52. 

Union  Society,  82,  90;  bought  a  part  of  Beth- 
esda,  187 ;  present  officers  and  managers  of, 
187. 

Unitarian  Church,  changed  into  armory,  205. 
Unitarians,  151. 

United  States  Bank,  erection  of,  109. 
USSUYBAW,  29. 

Volunteer  Regiment  of  Georgia,  First,  sketch 
of,  206 ;  present  field  and  stafi"  of,  209 ;  mili- 
tary organizations  of,  210. 

Wade,  R.  Q.,  divine,  130. 
Walicer  Thomas  U.,  architect,  177. 
Wall's  Cut,  57. 

Walton,  George,  early  patriot,  43. 
Walton,  John,  51. 
Wansall,  E.,  20. 
Waring,  W.  R.,  153. 
War  of  1812,  116. 

Wards,  names  of:  Brown,  111;   Columbia,  66; 

Decker,  6 ;  Derby,  6 ;  Elbert,  66 ;  Pranklin,  66 ; 

Greene,  66 ;  Heathcote,  6 ;  Jasper,  66 ;  Liberty, 

66;  Percival,  6;  Pulaski,  66;  Warren,  67; 

Washington,  67. 
Warsaw  Sound,  29,  200. 


Washington,  George,  related  to  Lady  Hunting- 
don, 85;  visit  to  Savannah,  91. 

Waterworks,  established,  186 ;  artesian  wells,  186. 

Wayne,  Anthony,  65,  73. 

Wayne,  J.  M.,  120,  125,  158. 

Webster,  Daniel,  109 ;  in  Savannah,  176. 

Wesley,  Charles,  12,  13,  16. 

Wesley,  John,  his  first  prayer  in  America,  12; 
his  first  sermon  in  Savannah,  13;  his  first 
hymnal,  14 ;  departure  for  England,  16. 

Wesley  Chapel,  125,  212. 

Wesley  Monumental  Church,  212. 

Wharf,  first,  built  in  Savannah,  31. 

Whitefield,  George,  13 ;  contrast  to  John  Wes- 
ley, 14 ;  remarks  on  Oglethorpe's  victory  over 
the  Spaniards,  21 ;  founder  of  Christ  Church 
parish,  155 ;  impression  in  Savannah  on  the 
death  of,  16. 

Williams,  W.  T.,  168. 

WiLTBERGER,  P.,  Captain,  152. 

Winn,  John,  early  patriot,  43.  ^ 

Worm  SLOE,  29. 

Wright,  Sir  James,  third  and  last  royal  governor 
in  Georgia,  34;  dramatic  episode  in  life  of, 
46 ;  end  of  his  rule  in  Savannah,  66. 

Wright,  a  biographer  of  Oglethorpe,  9. 

Wylly,  Alexander,  40. 

Wylly,  Richard,  110. 

Wynn,  a.  M.,  divine,  213. 

Yamacraw,  Indians,  4 ;  aristocratic  quarter  of  the 

city,  191 ;  fire  in,  216. 
Yellow  Fever,  epidemic  of,  in  1820,  136 ;  in  1854, 

188  ;  in  1858,  190  ;  in  1876,  190. 

ZOUBERBUHLER,   BARTHOLOMEW,   37,    110;  Organ 

presented  to  Christ  Church  during  the  rector- 
ship of,  155. 

ZuBLY,  John,  pastor  Independent  Presbyterian 
Church,  16,  32,  45. 


